More Than Meets The Eye- Klaroline
by melissah87
Summary: This is my own version of Klaus turning Caroline into a hybrid, but there will be a little twist and a lot of secrets to be revealed. There is an extended summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Extended Summary**

This is going to start during Senior Prank night, but what some of the characters are will be different. Instead of Caroline being a vampire, Matt is. Tyler is still a werewolf that triggered his wolf gene, but Caroline is a werewolf that hasn't activated her wolf gene yet because she hasn't killed anyone. Klaus will still turn Tyler, but he'll wait until he knows whether or not Tyler will survive the transition before trying Caroline. I can't say much about what happens with her without giving away too much information, but I will say that there are a few surprises in store for our favorite Original Hybrid regarding Caroline and they will complicate things for him. I will change a couple plot points from the show (even from season 1), but I will try to add in some of our favorite Klaroline lines; but that will be after I tweak some things. I will say I will have Klaus behave more aggressively towards Caroline during the first few meetings between them, but it won't last long; he may like to be in control, but we all know he likes when Caroline stands up to him. For other ships I'm going to mix it up a bit. And just so everyone is warned there will be some major character deaths (not Klaus or Caroline). I hope everyone enjoys reading this and lets me know what they think. I'll still consider everyone's input for Klaroline but I already know how I want it to progress in my head; if I hear a better idea I may go with it though, so I look forward to reading the reviews and piecing everything together.

 **Chapter 1**

 **Senior Prank Night (POV starts with Caroline & switches to Klaus later but I'll point it out)**

The night was going as planned and Caroline kept looking around at everyone enjoying the pranks they were setting up. It had been a crazy year but they were finally on their last night before becoming seniors. She thought back to the year before and everything that had happened between then and now; Elena fell in love with a vampire, said vampire's brother came to town and tried to compel Caroline, Caroline found out she was a wolf by blood but hadn't triggered the gene yet, she had found out Tyler was a wolf while she was with Matt and tried to help him during lock-up, Matt had been changed into a vampire and it became too difficult for him to be with her so they had broken up. Soon after, she and Tyler had gotten into a fight because she wouldn't turn her back on Matt or Stefan because they were vampires and took off with some werewolf friends of his uncle Mason's. When he came back, he and Matt and been captured to be used in Klaus' sacrifice, but Damon managed to get them out of there for Elena, getting bit in the process. Stefan had to take off with Klaus to hunt for wolves to turn in exchange for his blood to save Damon, leaving Elena here to come back to life and live without him.

She knew Elena, Damon, and Alaric had been looking for Stefan but every day seemed a little more hopeless than the day before. She missed Stefan herself since they had become friends after his brother had tried to kill her, but a small part of her was worried that if he returned Klaus would follow and then her and Tyler would be at risk for becoming hybrids. From what she had heard they all knew he hadn't been successful in keeping the hybrids he had made alive past transition and she shivered in thought of how torturous it all sounded. She had been given her fair share of torture over the past couple of years and didn't want to imagine becoming a hybrid.

First there was Damon trying to compel her and then trying to kill her before Stefan and Elena intervened, saving her life. Then there was Tyler's friends Jules and Brady that tortured her because she had befriended vampires and "vampire sympathizers" so she was considered a traitor to them. She had been so angry with Tyler for not helping her get away from them, but she was once again saved by Stefan. She wasn't an idiot; she knew she was only alive because she was Elena's friend and Elena had two vampires wrapped around her finger. But eventually she and Tyler had become friends again since Jules and Brady were dead and they were both wolves; slowly building until where they were now, which she was sure was more than friends or just allies. Lastly, there was her father and mother torturing her so she could learn to stay in control of herself and not trigger the wolf gene. Her mother had looked sickened that her daughter was a wolf and friends with vampires at first, but they were better now. Her father had never taken it easy on her; making her be the one to make sure he was locked up during the full moon and then "conditioning" her the next day so she wouldn't ever have the urge to turn and would take extra care to avoid it. Finally her mom made him stop when she thought Caroline could handle herself; seeing that she couldn't be compelled and was already a control freak before being conditioned to be a better one.

She was still lost in thought when she saw Elena come into the gym looking confused, before Caroline looked at her like she was crazy for forgetting it was senior prank night. Sure they had all been under a lot of stress, but she figured it gave them more reason to enjoy the little things and make the most of each day. She had even managed to get Tyler to participate in prank night so seeing Elena standing there clueless was not an option. She quickly talked her into it and watched as she went to go superglue Alaric's desk shut, wishing she had come up with that one herself. She and Tyler decided to go to the restrooms and mess with the toilet paper, but about halfway down the hall she felt her feet leave the ground as Tyler picked her up and spun her around while they laughed. When he sat her down they started to lean towards each other, but they heard a throat clear and looked up expecting to see a teacher busting them, but neither of them had seen the man before.

Both of them could sense the guy was a wolf, but when they picked up the scent of vampire Tyler stepped in front of Caroline. They both realized Klaus had come back to town, and that only meant one thing; he wanted to make hybrids. Caroline looked around wondering if Elena was hiding somewhere, silently breathing in and trying to pick up a scent, but without triggering the curse her senses weren't as heightened as Tyler's. Then she wondered where Stefan was and if he was even alive, but she couldn't think too long before they heard a whoosh and Caroline spun around to see a blonde girl standing behind them, flashing a smirk before grabbing her and pulling her from Tyler while Klaus rushed forward and grabbed Tyler.

 _"Don't hurt the girl yet little sister… she may still be useful."_ She heard Klaus say as he looked at the blonde restraining her before glancing at her. She fixed her face to a glare and he smirked before tugging on Tyler and walking them back towards the gym as Klaus' sister pulled her along. Caroline knew she couldn't outrun them and there was no way she could beat them in a fight; they were 2 original vampires and she was an untriggered wolf. So she decided to play it safe and listen until she could figure out a way to get them out of the situation or help could come; doubting very much that anyone could help them.

She watched as he compelled Dana to stand with a foot up and Chad to kill her if she set it down. When she saw Stefan she felt a moment of relief before realizing it wouldn't do them any good since Klaus was stronger than all of them. She saw the same hope and relief on Elena's face but the fear in Stefan's eyes made reality sink in. It didn't stop Caroline from trying to get out of the other blonde's grasp, especially when Klaus went back to Tyler; biting into his own wrist and holding it firmly over Tyler's mouth.

 _"Every time I attempt to make a hybrid they die. Now Bonnie, I want you to find me the solution to my little problem… and for Tyler's sake you better hurry."_ Klaus said before snapping Tyler's neck and letting him drop to the floor. Caroline could hear her friends' shrieks and Dana and Chad screaming in fear at the sight of Tyler's body in the floor, but Caroline couldn't make a sound; she just fell limply in the other blonde's arm until the girl let her drop to the floor with a laugh. Finally being free to move she pushed herself up and went to sit on her knees next to Tyler. She saw Bonnie and Matt leaving the gym with a grimoire in her peripheral and could hear Elena calling her name but all she could focus on was Tyler lying dead right in front of her. After the shock passed she felt the rage broil up until she was shaking and she felt like she was burning up. When she heard the first snap she closed her eyes, thinking it was Klaus hurting another one of her friends and she couldn't bring herself to look. When the next snap rung loud she felt it and realized the sound was coming from her.

She knew her heartbeat had sped up and could feel her body trying to turn as the rage fueled her, but then she remembered a couple critical details; it wasn't a full moon and she hadn't killed anyone. She braced her hands against the gym floor, but the heat was becoming too much so she shed her jacket and doubled over as the next snap sounded. She looked up at Elena and Stefan confused and saw them just as curious as she was, but dropped her head back down when another snap came and she tried to hold in a scream; much like when her father had taught her to embrace pain.

 _"Well sweetheart… this certainly is a surprise."_ She heard Klaus say and saw him crouch down next to her.

 _"Get away from me."_ She grit out and tried to calm herself down; she didn't need to finish turning and possibly hurt someone she cared about since she knew the only ones a wolf didn't attack in wolf form was another wolf.

 _"Now now… there's no need to be rude. I bet you don't even understand what's happening to you love. Do you?"_ He asked and she braced herself for another snap when she felt her anger rising again. _"Allow me to clear things up for you sweetheart… you're an alpha."_ He stated and reached over to pull her hair back but she moved and tried to push him away. _"Let me let you in on a little secret… and most won't know this because it's quite rare; I haven't even seen this in centuries… an alpha doesn't need to make a kill to turn. You're triggering your own transformation… but you won't fully turn into a wolf until the full moon and until you make a kill you can choose whether to turn or not. You're in for an exhausting night love."_ He chuckled and stood back to his full height while Caroline looked back to Elena. She saw her friend looking at her and knew Elena wanted to come to her but she just shook her head; the further she kept Elena away from Klaus the better. Looking towards Stefan she could see he was scared for her and for the others but he nodded his head to her.

 _"Just breathe Caroline… you'll be alright… you can do this."_ Stefan said in encouragement and she tried to breathe but hearing Klaus chuckling at their interactions had her anger coming back up.

 _"Help her Stefan… please."_ She heard Elena beg Stefan when Caroline couldn't hold back her screams completely. She heard a whoosh and saw Stefan kneeling in front of her.

 _"Caroline… listen to me."_ He instructed and she nodded and tried to look up at him, but couldn't. _"Just breathe… you don't want to hurt anyone… and if anyone can stop this it's you."_ He stated and pulled her head up so she could see how serious he was. Looking at him they made a silent agreement and she closed her eyes while he covered her ears so she could block everything out and breathe. _"That's it… just like that."_ She faintly heard through Stefan's hands after a bone snapped back into place. She knew he was trying to help encourage her but it didn't help with the pain. When every bone was back in place she opened her eyes and nodded, letting Stefan drop his hands back down. _"You alright?"_

 _"I've felt worse before… I'll be fine."_ She stated back still shaky and out of breath, and he nodded.

 _"Just try to keep calm… you did good."_ He offered before glancing towards the originals and standing, stepping back until he was in his previous place. Caroline looked up to see Elena still in tears from what she had seen and she couldn't bear to see her friend crying so Caroline looked back down. Seeing Tyler still dead she reached her hand out and smoothed his hair down before moving to sit cross-legged beside him instead of on her knees. She focused on everything her father and Stefan had told her about keeping calm and in control until she felt numb, but she was interrupted by the original hybrid that seemed hell-bent on disturbing her after he sent his sister to check on Bonnie's progress.

 _"I've got to say… I'm quite surprised by you."_ He started as he walked over to crouch beside her again. She looked up to see Stefan imitating a breathing exercise for her and she copied him. _"I don't get surprised often. I'm curious as to which wolf line you come from… it seems like I didn't get much information on you when I was in town before. It's not surprising since you couldn't have been used for my sacrifice because you weren't triggered…"_

 _"You must really love hearing yourself talk."_ She said as she turned to glare at him. _"And my life is none of your business."_ She stated with grit teeth and turned back to look at her friends and breathe while he gave a small chuckle.

 _"What's wrong with a little conversation to pass the time while we wait on your little witch friend to solve my problem?"_

 _"Maybe the fact that no one really wants to talk to you?"_ She answered sarcastically and saw Elena's eyes widen before she felt the gym floor under her back with a glaring hybrid holding her down by the shoulders. _"GET. OFF. OF. ME."_ She said slowly but kept her own glare fixed on her face and didn't break away from his eyes. He didn't look away as he ordered Chad to retrieve a knife from the cafeteria and bring it to him, and Elena started begging him not to hurt her friend.

 _"I think a little demonstration is in order…"_ He stated when Chad returned and handed him the knife before walking back to Dana to help her keep her foot up. Then Klaus gripped Caroline by the chin and she saw his pupils dilate, knowing he was going to try and compel her. _"I want you to take this knife and stab Chad with it… and make sure you kill him."_ He ordered and she took the knife from him. She knew she wasn't compelled and knew exactly what she was going to do with the knife in her hand; she only hoped Stefan and Elena kept quiet until she got a chance to do it. Once he moved off of her she rose up and quickly thrust the knife into his leg, breaking the handle off and standing completely as he recovered.

 _"I told you to get off of me."_ She remarked and watched as he pulled the blade out of his leg before looking at her. She didn't get time to blink before he crossed the distance between them and sunk his fangs in her neck. She accepted he might kill her for resisting him, knowing there were worse fates than death, so she didn't fight him as she felt him drinking the blood from her neck. But when he stopped and dropped her to the ground, still alive and barely any blood taken, she glared as she stood back up.

 _"Not one drop of vervain in your system… yet somehow my compulsion didn't work on you."_ He mused out loud and started walking around her in a circle. _"Seems like you'd be even more useful than I thought."_ He stated and quickly bit into his wrist, placing it over her mouth until he was sure she had enough of his blood in her system as she fought to break away from him. _"But we'll just wait to see if your witch friend is successful with Tyler's transition before it's your turn."_ He said menacingly and released her to pick up Tyler's arm and dragged him over by the wall and Caroline walked over to stand in front of Elena.

 _"What were you thinking Caroline? He could have killed you."_ Elena whispered as she pulled her friend into a hug.

 _"I warned him… he was the one that wouldn't get his creepy hands off of me."_ Caroline whispered back in attempt to lessen her friend's fear. She glanced towards Stefan to see him looking back and forth between the girls and Klaus, obviously overhearing Caroline's answer and waiting to see Klaus do something else to her, but he didn't. When Caroline saw Klaus' sister come back in she placed herself more in front of Elena as inconspicuously as she could.

 _"It should be soon Nik… the little Bennett witch is having to ask on the other side."_

 _"Rebekah I don't really care what she has to do as long as she does it and does so quickly."_ Klaus answered and moved closer to his sister.

 _"What the bloody hell happened to you?"_ The girl asked when she saw his bloody pants with a hole in them.

 _"Just a little misunderstanding with a certain blonde wolf… turns out she can't be compelled. Perhaps you should take her and the pup to another room for when he wakes up. Maybe you can get her to say which wolf line she comes from… and how she can resist compulsion without vervain?"_

 _"Gladly."_ Rebekah answered and looked to Caroline. _"I'd follow willingly if I were you. I'm sure you'd hate it if I ripped the mutt's heart out as soon as he woke up if you didn't."_ She warned and went to drag Tyler out of the gym and Caroline looked between Elena and Stefan before following her.

 ** _Klaus POV…_**

He watched the little blonde spitfire follow his sister out of the gym, her hair bouncing where it was curled slightly with each step, before turning back to Stefan and Elena. He kept quiet for a minute as he watched them, letting them think he was debating his next move with them while his thoughts stayed on the little alpha; remembering her first name was Caroline. He thought about digging his phone out and texting his contacts to get her last name but decided to wait on his sister to see if she could get it out of her; he didn't like not knowing everyone in the doppelganger's little circle. So he went over what he had already figured out; he knew she was an alpha and couldn't be compelled. She had great control of herself and was likely not even aware that she was an alpha since she had looked confused when she started shifting.

An alpha turning before making a kill was rare like he had said, but he left out that alpha females were even rarer since you had to be a first born of an alpha line to be an alpha yourself, so it was more typical to see alpha males. But for Caroline to be an alpha female with enough control to trigger the werewolf gene without making a kill was truly a sight; in a thousand years he hadn't heard of an alpha female becoming a wolf without making a kill. He doubted Caroline knew how unique she already was and he couldn't wait to turn her. A hybrid that can't be compelled would be useful against his father, but he would have to rein her in; it would be difficult but not impossible. He knew the hybrids he would make would develop a sire bond that would ensure they followed his orders.

He had plenty of leverage to use even if sire bonds didn't exist. He had learned there was a friendship to Stefan, the doppelganger, the Bennett witch, and to the vampire Matt that was supposed to be the vampire used in his sacrifice. It was a little surprising to see her friends with vampires because she was a werewolf but he overlooked it; the doppelganger was probably the reason behind it anyway. Not to mention the pup in transition being closer to her; especially from what he had interrupted in the hall. It was all setting up perfectly as long as he could turn them both; glad Tyler was the experimental leverage instead of Caroline since he would hate to see such potential die because of an incompetent witch. He decided to put a little pressure on the witch and quickly started playing a little game with Stefan; making him kill off Chad and Dana since they weren't important and then compelling him to kill Elena if she moved or when the buzzer went off on the game board.

When Bonnie and Matt told him that the doppelganger should be dead, he thought that something was off. He knew they had spoken with his mother and his mother had despised him; even before triggering the wolf gene. Then he remembered it was doppelganger blood that had turned his siblings and himself (a wolf) into vampires and decided it was time to experiment his own theory. Making sure to taunt Stefan some more he collected two vials of Elena's blood, hiding one in his pocket, and flashing to the room that his sister had the little wolves in; pausing to listen in on the conversation taking place inside.

 ** _Caroline POV…_**

To say Caroline was worried would be an understatement as she watched Tyler struggle with the pain he was feeling, helpless to do anything besides comforting him the best she could. She had already been threatened with his life just to get her last name and how she could avoid compulsion; to which she gave her name and said avoiding compulsion was something passed on through the generations in her family. Rebekah hadn't been satisfied with the vague answer to the second question and had snapped Tyler's arm. Caroline had helped Tyler snap his arm back in place and since then the room had been quiet aside from Tyler's panting and grunts from pain.

 _"You know Caroline… you really shouldn't piss off an Original… we're quite well known for our tempers."_

 _"So are wolves."_ Caroline retorted and looked at the other blonde, but kept her hand on Tyler's back rubbing circles.

 _"So how does one generation teach the next how to avoid compulsion?"_ Rebekah asked lazily and Caroline rolled her eyes.

 _"Oh it's a long process… it takes time, instruments, and days and days of torture. But I think it's worth it… I mean I did get to stab your psycho brother in the leg."_ She said and smirked at the glare Rebekah was giving her.

 _"Maybe I should stab Tyler a few times to make up for it."_ Rebekah retorted and Caroline pressed her lips together as she thought of what to say.

 _"Or you could just stop talking since you don't like my answers."_ Caroline voiced and Rebekah was about to move but the door opened and Klaus walked in.

 _"Well the verdict's in…"_ Klaus started but paused as he glanced at the wolves in the room.

 _"And?"_ Rebekah prompted.

 _"The Original Witch says the doppelganger should be dead."_

 _"Does that mean we can kill her?"_

 _"No actually I think it means quite the opposite."_

 _"What?"_ Rebekah asked in confusion but Klaus ignored her and held up a vial of blood in front of Tyler. When he did that, Rebekah grabbed Caroline from behind to keep her from interfering with her brother as he started talking again.

 _"Elena's blood… drink it."_ He ordered.

 _"No… that could kill him!"_ Caroline interrupted in a panic as she kept fighting Rebekah and Tyler looked at her before looking at the blood, but Klaus carried on.

 _"He'll die anyway love if he doesn't drink it."_

 _"What are you doing Nik?"_ Rebekah asked as Caroline felt the other blonde's grip tighten further due to her squirming.

 _"Call it an experiment… drink it."_ He ordered and Caroline fought harder. She didn't want to see Tyler go through this; much less go through it alone. Since he had triggered the wolf gene she had been locking him up the same as her father and she couldn't stand not helping him. She kept screaming for him and saying no as he held up the vial to his mouth and drained it. Her fear escalated when he started coughing and fell to the floor screaming, and anger came in when she saw Klaus leaning back against the table watching in amusement as Tyler writhed in pain on the floor. When Tyler sat up on his hands and knees grasping his head, Caroline thought he was dying but he lifted his head towards Klaus as he crouched down to Tyler's level and she stopped fighting to see what was happening. _"Now that's a good sign."_ Klaus stated and stood as Caroline finally got out of Rebekah's hold and got in the floor with Tyler.

When he turned and she saw the veins under his eyes highlighting his yellow eyes she nearly ran, but kept still with her hands on his shoulders until he calmed enough the veins started disappearing. He kept telling her he was alright but she couldn't answer anything back as she moved forward and put her arms around him, burying her face into his neck to hide her face. She was thankful she had managed to keep from crying but now she was even more worried for Tyler; she didn't know how he would adjust to being a hybrid. He hadn't taken to being a wolf easy at all and was just starting to come to terms with it, so adding being a vampire in on top of that with everything heightened could be disastrous; she might have to get advice from her dad on how to help him.

 ** _Klaus POV…_**

He watched the couple in the floor, still trying to figure Caroline out; Tyler was now a hybrid and she didn't run from the vampire side. Now that he had the key to making his hybrids he would collect the doppelganger's blood and start making them, but only after he changed Caroline; that was a must before their time at the school was over. He took his sister out of the room so neither of the two inside would hear their conversation.

 _"Did you get the information out of her?"_

 _"Mostly… she's got a mouth on her."_

 _"As long as she gave you the information I need, I'm sure you can handle a few remarks."_

 _"She's a Forbes and it's a family tradition to avoid compulsion. She mentioned torture so I assume it's the same way as in Tibet. You know how they are over there."_

 _"It's a start… I'm sure that once I turn her she'll answer my questions. She won't have a choice with the sire bond that'll form; I already felt it with the pup."_

 _"Good… maybe then you can keep her under control. Any more time in there with her and I would have snapped her neck."_

 _"I already had my blood in her system just in case little sister. Now go send Stefan, the Bennett witch, and the vampire quarterback home. I need you to start collecting doppelganger blood for me so take Elena wherever you can get it from her discreetly. I have another wolf to turn."_ Klaus instructed and watched his sister smirk before flashing off to do as he asked before walking back into the room. He saw Tyler notice him and tighten his hold on Caroline, causing her to pull her head back to look at Tyler. Noticing the direction Tyler was looking, he saw Caroline turn her head and see him staring at them. _"Now Tyler… do be smart and help me with your girlfriend here."_

 _"What are you going to do with her?"_ Tyler asked and stood with Caroline standing up with him.

 _"I'm going to make her a hybrid… surely you want her to turn."_ He stated and made sure to put as much influence in his words as he could to get the sire bond to effect the boy's actions. Tyler looked back at Caroline to see her shaking her head and looking between them.

 _"She doesn't want to turn though…"_

 _"Don't you want her to feel like you do right now? I'm offering to do this the easy way but I can always change my mind."_ He voiced and watched as they started arguing with each other. He saw Tyler gently pulling on her, trying to get her to go to him, but she kept pulling back and saying no. Becoming impatient he sped behind her, biting into his wrist and feeding her again as she scratched at his arm trying to get it to dislodge from her mouth. He knew she already had enough blood in her system to turn but he wanted to be extra sure; it wasn't every day you found a Forbes alpha female. When he saw her started to get dizzy he moved his hand away and turned her around to face him; placing a hand on each side of her neck. _"Sweet dreams sweetheart."_ He said and snapped her neck, watching as Tyler rushed forward to catch her.

 _"Oh god she's gonna kill me."_ He heard Tyler say and watched as he lifted her up on the table where he had been.

 _"Lighten up… I did you both a favor. Now neither of you have to turn unless you want to."_

 _"She hasn't turned yet though."_

 _"You missed quite a lot while you were dead."_ Klaus offered, still amused by the little blonde wolf they would now be waiting on to wake up for a while.

 _"What do you mean? What did you do?"_

 _"I didn't do anything mate… but I did figure a few things out about your little girlfriend."_

 _"Like what?"_ Tyler asked as he glanced at Caroline before moving to stand closer to Klaus. Klaus thought it would be a good time to gather information and give a few details that neither of them likely knew.

 _"Did you know she was an alpha; an alpha of a very strong alpha line?"_

 _"No…"_

 _"Well then I guess you don't know that an alpha doesn't need to make a kill to trigger their wolf gene?"_ Klaus asked as he wondered whether or not both Tyler and Caroline knew anything about being a wolf; he'd have to rectify that if they didn't.

 _"No I didn't know that."_

 _"She triggered hers… she nearly shifted completely until the rippah helped her calm down."_

 _"That's not possible… it ain't even a full moon."_ Tyler commented and Klaus remembered her trying to shift in the gym; it hadn't been abnormal for an alpha until she stopped the shift. That was yet another thing that threw him for a loop; he hadn't seen that before. Most wolves may fight against the change, but inevitably they have to endure hours before it's over if it isn't a full moon; and if it was a full moon they would just become the wolf.

 _"She wouldn't have turned into a wolf, but she would have broken every bone in her body trying to."_

 _"What does that have to do with you turning us?"_

 _"It has nothing to do with turning you… but she's a different story. She's already meant to be stronger and faster; like the alpha she is. Making her into a hybrid gives me a better advantage in regards to my army."_ Klaus stated thinking there wasn't any harm in broaching the topic of what he would expect of them.

 _"Why do you need an army?"_

 _"You never know what you'll need an army for, but it's best to be prepared for anything mate."_

 _"So if Caroline is in the army she won't be an alpha anymore?"_ Tyler asked confused and Klaus looked at him, wondering how he could have ever thought that. He hoped the boy was smarter than he seemed because if he wasn't he wouldn't have any use besides keeping Caroline in check.

 _"She'll always be an alpha… she just won't be THE alpha. That would be me. We'll have to see how useful she proves to be before I decide what to put her on."_

 _"What do you mean?"_ Tyler questioned and Klaus resisted the urge to kill him or compel him to shut up; he needed information and he should really fill Tyler in on a few things.

 _"I mean that there are jobs I will have you do… I need to see what each of you are good at before I decide. Her being an alpha puts her in the running for a higher position than you or any other common werewolf."_

 _"Can you tell whether or not another werewolf is an alpha?"_ Tyler asked as he glanced back at Caroline again and Klaus took a breath to keep himself calm.

 _"You wonder if you're one too?"_ Klaus asked as he thought of how funny the situation was; it was obvious that Tyler didn't like the fact that his girlfriend was stronger or higher-ranked than him.

 _"I just want to know that me and her won't get separated."_

 _"That would have happened regardless mate… an alpha female is rare. There are certain traditions in wolf communities I'm guessing you aren't aware of."_ Klaus explained and watched the boy's face contort in confusion and slight anger as he shifted from foot to foot. He knew he'd eventually have to separate them, but until he was sure Caroline could be reined in he would let them indulge in the belief they could stay together.

 _"What are you talking about?"_

 _"I'm sure you pictured her and yourself 'together forever' even before tonight?"_ Klaus asked sarcastically with a roll of his eyes; love was for the weak and he didn't intend for his hybrids to be weak.

 _"You're saying that we're not? You don't know anything about us… nobody has a say in what we do together."_

 _"An alpha female can only be with an alpha male… you should know the customs of your own kind."_ He informed the pup as his face changed to fear; no doubt panicking over the little blonde wolf.

 _"Is that why you wanted to turn her? You want to take her from me?"_

 _"I don't need her for that mate… but I'm sure there are plenty of alpha males waiting to be turned that would line up for her."_ Klaus replied and he meant it, but he couldn't help but glance at the girl; he wouldn't mind doing a few things with her.

 _"Don't do this… if she's an alpha it means she'll have a choice; especially considering the point in putting two alphas together would be to combine packs and make a stronger bloodline. She'll be a vampire… and she's the only child her father has so her bloodline is finished with her."_ Tyler begged as he tried to reason and Klaus wanted to laugh at him; although the fact she was the last of her bloodline would be a factor against getting control of her, he couldn't really see what point there was worrying about it.

 _"I could sit here and go into specifics with you all night but the fact of the matter remains that the customs of werewolves are the same once they are hybrids. There's nothing to be done about it mate… you'll just have to get used to it."_ Klaus explained annoyed with his first successful hybrid. He started influencing his will for the pup to shut up so he could use the remainder of their wait in silence. Tyler was glaring at him but eventually turned to go sit next to Caroline. He wanted to kick the boy out of the room, but knew he would need Tyler to get her to finish the transition; he couldn't compel her and the sire bond wouldn't activate until she was completely turned.

Walking over to Caroline, he snapped her neck back in place to speed up the process as much as he could, feeling impatient, and pulled his phone out. Rebekah had taken the doppelganger to the hospital so they could draw blood, and was waiting there in case someone showed up to try and rescue her. He let his sister know it wouldn't take much longer before the girl woke up and finished the transition, chuckling when she complained even more about Caroline. Finishing up his conversation he put his phone back in his pocket and looked back to the table to see that Tyler was standing over her looking for any sign that the girl was waking up. About a half an hour later Klaus was starting to wonder if something had went wrong and she couldn't be turned at all when she sucked in a breath and shot up off the table.

 _"Finally… let's get down to business."_ Klaus stated as he dug the vial out of his pocket and walked over to where she was standing in Tyler's arms; obviously in pain but glaring at him. _"Now Tyler… you want her to live so I think you should make sure I get this blood down her throat."_ He instructed and Tyler looked down at her before wrapping an arm around her chest and the other holding her head as she tried to go limp and fall out of his arms. Tyler sunk down with her and used the hand he had on her head to reach down and pry her mouth open. Klaus poured the vial in her mouth and Tyler moved his hand to cover her mouth so she wouldn't spit the blood out.

 ** _Caroline POV…_**

She couldn't believe Tyler had let Klaus turn her without even a fight; and now he was making her swallow her best friend's blood to become a hybrid. She didn't want this but Tyler was now a lot stronger than her. She breathed through her nose, trying not to panic, and determined to not swallow the blood in her mouth. Tyler must have figured out what she was doing because he shifted his hand enough to cover her nose; leaving her with the option of swallowing so she could breathe or suffocate. Deciding her fate she closed her eyes; not wanting to look at anything as she felt everything going fuzzy. She could hear Tyler begging her to swallow the blood but she just fisted her hand and jerked her elbow back.

When the hit didn't affect him she knew it was hopeless. She felt him twist her quickly, keeping his hand in place, and push her down on her back. She nearly gave in and swallowed from the impact but held on. It would be any time that she died and she was looking forward to it compared to living with the betrayal she felt in that moment. She didn't notice what he was doing until she felt his hand move and his mouth cover hers, using the air from him to push the blood down her throat. She nearly choked but kept resisting until he felt Tyler's other hand trying to massage her throat; a trick on her body to coax it into what he wanted. Out of air her body couldn't fight and when Tyler forced more air into her mouth, pushing harder at the blood, she lost control of the muscles in her throat and the blood slipped down.

That's when she felt like a fire spread throughout her entire body and she jerked herself away from Tyler. All she could think of was the pain she felt radiating everywhere as the veins crept up under her eyes and her fangs lengthened. Before the pain stopped she pushed herself up, punching Tyler in the face and running out of the room. She could hear them both following her so she tried to speed run like she had seen Stefan and Damon do and managed to get to the gym where her jacket was when she saw Dana and Chad lying on the floor dead.

Picking up her jacket she felt a hunger rise up and knew it was the blood on the floor calling for her, but ignored it and sped on until she was outside. Knowing it was safe to breathe again she took a few lungfuls in and looked around. Everything was brighter in the night sky and she could hear everything. Pulling her hair over her ears she took off again trying to get away from town and into the forest. She didn't make it far before she felt herself pulled into an alley and pushed against the wall.

 _"Although I'm glad to see you're already adjusting to one of the perks of being a vampire, I did not give you permission to leave."_ Klaus said as he held her against the wall by her shoulders.

 _"I don't need your permission…"_ Caroline replied angrily as she began pushing at the Original; even if she knew it wouldn't do any good because he was a LOT older and stronger than her.

 _"Yes you do… you're a hybrid now; one of mine. Now don't move."_ He ordered and tried to put influence in it, but couldn't feel the connection like he had with Tyler. He saw her scoff and start to flash away so flashed in front of her and put her against the wall again. _"I can see you're going to be difficult about this so let me make it clear for you… you're going to do as I say or the people you care about will suffer for it. I may find amusement in you, but don't test me… I can make you suffer in ways you've never even dreamed of."_

 _"News flash… I'm not your slave. In case you haven't noticed… this is a free country…"_ She stated sarcastically even though she meant every word.

 _"Blah blah blah… I'm sure I won't have to make you watch out for your friend Elena; make sure she stays alive instead of getting killed or becoming a vampire. I would put you in charge of collecting her blood but I don't see you cooperating for that…"_

 _"I won't…"_

 _"Well in that case sweetheart… I could always take you with me to track down more wolves…"_ He offered and she didn't miss him looking down at her neck before his eyes started to move down and she scoffed.

 _"I'm not going anywhere with you, you crazy psychopathic ego-maniac."_ She replied firmly as she pushed at him again.

 _"Now now love… behave or I'll start with your father. Tyler mentioned you were HIS only child while I was trying to figure out your heritage… leading me to figure out your father is a wolf."_ He warned and she froze, but kept glaring at him. _"Is your mother a wolf too?"_

 _"No."_

 _"You are surprising me more and more love. An alpha female with only one parent being a wolf. You certainly are an anomaly."_ He said and she felt like the star of a freak show in that moment, but she caught his eyes looking her over again and her anger crept up; she knew she needed to get away or she'd end up turning.

 _"Get off of me."_

 _"I would but you would run again… and I don't want to be chasing you around all night; even if it is rather refreshing."_ Klaus answered and finished with a smirk and she scrunched her face up in disgust.

 _"You're sick…"_

 _"And you're intriguing but I have important things to do. Get adjusted to your new life and keep Elena safe so I can make more hybrids."_ He said before flashing in the direction he came from. She was still fuming so she flashed off to the forest, draining a few animals before stopping to clean herself up at a small stream. She pulled her phone out; she was terrified of calling her parents so she called Bonnie.

 _"Care are you alright?"_

 _"Not really… Tyler forced me into finishing the transition."_

 _"Where are you?"_

 _"I don't really know… I'm scared to go home… you know my parents both hate vampires. How am I supposed to tell them I'm a hybrid?"_

 _"I don't know Care… do you want to stay here tonight? Matt is staying here since you don't need an invite at his house and my dad is out of town."_

 _"Are you sure?"_

 _"As long as you don't drain me or bite Matt you can stay here."_

 _"I just had a few animals… I'll stop and try to get some blood bags from the hospital just in case."_

 _"That'll work because Matt hasn't went to get any from his house and I don't feel like him feeding off of me either."_

 _"Ask Matt how many he thinks I should get."_

 _"He said to fill a cooler full in case you guys have to stay a while. Are you going to compel someone if you run into anyone?"_

 _"I'm not for sure how but I'll figure it out… I promise I won't hurt anyone."_

 _"Text me when you're leaving the hospital."_

 _"I will… thank you Bonnie."_ She whispered into the phone and heard her say welcome before hanging up and calling her mom to let her know she was staying with Bonnie. Her mom told her she was working so she wouldn't be home until morning, but to come home to see her before going to school. After agreeing she hung up and flashed towards the hospital, sneaking in and trying to avoid running into anyone. She made it to the room where the blood was stored and gathered a cooler full before turning to leave and running into a nurse. Before the nurse could make a sound, Caroline covered her mouth and started trying to compel her. She was thankful her compulsion worked the first time and she flashed out of the hospital to avoid any more run-ins. Texting Bonnie she started walking towards her friend's house, but heard Damon's voice.

She moved to hide in the bushes as she watched him confront Klaus and listened in as Damon threatened Klaus with a name; Mikael. Seeing Klaus actually look afraid before tossing Damon had her confused. What is a 1000 year old hybrid afraid of? She held her breath while he gathered the blood bags from the ground and flashed away. When she was sure he was gone she flashed away to Bonnie's house; not stopping until she was on the porch knocking.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Caroline had been lucky that morning when she went home; she had just made it on the porch and opened the door when her mother told her to come inside the house and help her. Secretly glad she got an unintentional invitation into her own house she had entered and seen her mom trying to move some boxes around. She didn't know what overcame her but she told her mom to sit because she needed to talk to her. Seeing her mom's worried face she struggled to form the words she needed to say, but her mom cut her off.

 _"Please don't tell me you're pregnant…"_ Liz asked and she gave a short laugh at how she wished it WAS that case instead of having to tell her mom she was a hybrid.

 _"No mom I'm not pregnant… but something happened last night. And I'm afraid you're going to hate me for it."_ Caroline started and saw Liz's face scrunch as she tried to come up with a thought of what had happened before Caroline could explain.

 _"Did you kill someone?"_ Liz asked and Caroline shook her head before answering.

 _"No I didn't."_

 _"You're starting to scare me Caroline…"_ Liz stated with a tremble and Caroline knew her mom was slowly rising to hysterics from waiting.

 _"Just give me a minute to say everything and I'll tell you."_

 _"Okay…"_ Liz answered and Caroline took a minute to collect her thoughts and find the courage to tell her mother the truth; although she hadn't been this terrified the night before and she found that rather ironic.

 _"First off… I had NO control in this… I didn't choose it. I was ready to die last night… and if you don't want me here after I tell you I'll understand. But I want you to know I love you and daddy so much… and I would never hurt either of you or let anyone hurt you if I could stop it…"_ Caroline rambled through her nervousness but Liz stood and cut her off before she could blurt out what had happened.

 _"Just tell me Caroline…"_ Liz begged and looking at her mother, all Caroline could do was whisper the rest.

 _"I got turned last night."_

 _"What do you mean turned? What are you talking about?"_ Her mother asked confused and Caroline took in a shaky breath as she prepared to explain everything further.

 _"There's a hybrid; a vampire and werewolf. He came to town last night and he figured out how to turn a wolf into a hybrid like he is."_

 _"And he turned you?"_ Her mother asked looking at her as Caroline fought the tears she felt forming while nodding and waiting to find out what her mother would say. _"Did he turn Tyler too?"_

 _"Yeah… neither of us chose to turn though…"_

 _"Have you told your father?"_ Liz asked and Caroline shook her head. She was starting to get scared that her mother would just kill her and be done with it, but she saw her mother start crying. She stood to wrap her arms around her but stopped, not knowing whether or not her mother would accept it.

 _"I'm still me mom… but if you don't want me here I'll go and…"_ Caroline offered not knowing what else to say or do to make things better. What would her mother do now that she learned the truth? Would she kick her out, kill her, or send the council after her?

 _"This is your home too Caroline… we'll figure something out."_

 _"You don't hate me?"_ Caroline asked confused, and a little hopeful that maybe things wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

 _"I don't hate you… I hate what you are."_ Liz replied and Caroline felt some of that new relief disappear.

 _"If you want me to go I will…"_ Caroline offered again as her fear of what her mother would do grew and she knew it would be safer for her mom if she did leave.

 _"I don't… I just don't know what your father is going to do when he finds this out."_

 _"Do you think he'll kill me?"_ Caroline asked in a small voice; she was more afraid of her father's reaction than her mother's and as much as she hadn't known what her mom would do, her father was even more unpredictable.

 _"No but I can't guarantee he won't make sure you're still in control of yourself… I've seen Stefan and Damon and they've both explained a few things."_

 _"Stefan told me once that being a vampire doesn't change you… it just amplifies who you already are. But if they turn their emotions off they aren't in control."_ Caroline stated as she tried to give her mom some kind of comfort through this ordeal; even if it was accepting how she was now.

 _"Then your father will want to make sure you don't turn it off after he makes sure you're in control."_

 _"When are you going to tell him?"_

 _"I'll take off work today… he can get here by the time you get off of school if you're still going…"_ Liz answered but trailed off in thought; apparently Liz was just as worried as she was regarding her classmates' safety.

 _"I'm going… I refuse to lose school because of this."_ Caroline insisted with a determined nod and looked at her mom to see her worried face.

 _"How are you going to keep from killing one of the kids at school?"_

 _"My friends will be there, and I'll drink a blood bag or a bunny before I go in."_ Caroline thought out loud in answer and hoped it would be enough; she'd hate to give up her life because of the night before.

 _"You know I don't like this at all, right?"_ Liz asked and Caroline pulled away from the beginnings of her inner monologue.

 _"I know."_

 _"But I'm glad you told me… instead of hiding it or running away."_

 _"I was scared to… it's why I stayed at Bonnie's last night."_ Caroline explained truthfully and saw Liz give a small nod before wiping her face and standing from her seat.

 _"Alright… well go change and get to school. I'll call your dad and he'll come by the time you get out of school."_ Her mom spoke and Caroline rushed forward to give her mom a hug, but then stepped back when she thought her mom wouldn't want her to. She saw her mom's face looking a little tense but not angry and she nodded before running up the steps to change.

Once she was changed she exited her room and heard her mom talking on the phone with her dad. She stepped in the kitchen long enough to wave bye to her mom before she walking out of the house and getting in her car; thankful she had rode with Tyler to the school the night before. But thinking of Tyler angered her and she had to take a few calming breaths before starting her car and driving to the school. When she got there she saw Elena, who was sitting with Matt and Bonnie, and then she saw Tyler talking to some of the members on the football team. She closed her door and started walking over where Elena, Bonnie, and Matt were sitting, but halfway there she was stopped by Tyler.

 _"Come on Care… just talk to me…"_ Tyler begged and Caroline whirled around to face him angrily.

 _"Don't you dare Tyler… you forced me to finish the transition last night. You don't get to talk to me right now…"_ Caroline stated as she moved closer with her finger held up for emphasis.

 _"I'm sorry… but I couldn't just let you die…"_

 _"Yes you could have, which was my choice… but instead you listened to a complete psychopath and forced me to swallow my best friend's blood. So just leave me alone…"_ Caroline ranted, but didn't want to talk to him so she chose to just ask for some space.

 _"Care…"_

 _"I said leave me alone."_ She repeated firmly and was a little shocked when he backed down. He looked just as surprised as her but she ignored it and walked around him towards her destination. Once she sat down Matt asked her how she was doing before excusing himself to go to his locker before class started. They sat there in silence for a few minutes, all of them stressing over their own issues before they heard the first bell; signaling they had 10 minutes to get to their first class. So they stood and stared at the school. Elena mentioned it was exactly one year before when she met Stefan and now he was emotionless, Bonnie brought up the problems she had with Jeremy, and Caroline voiced her frustrations about getting turned by Klaus and Tyler helping him do it; following orders like a little puppy. But ultimately she told Elena she won since everything started with her being the doppelganger.

So they went inside, parting ways as they headed to their classes and Caroline paused outside the gym; half expecting when she looked in she would see Dana and Chad still on the bloody floor, but they weren't. She continued walking down the hall, pausing again when she saw the room she had died in the night before as it filled up with students placing their things down on the table she had woken up on. Shaking her head she continued until she got to her class and pulled her schedule out to make sure she wouldn't have class in that room, and luckily she didn't.

The day seemed to pass slowly for Caroline as she sat through class after class, fighting back her emotions and the craving she would have whenever someone got really close to her. She made sure to go to the bathroom during the times she was worried whether or not she would remain in control, but eventually made it through the day. When the final bell rang she went to the vending machine and loaded her purse full of chips so she could get through the next day, stopping at her locker to cram all the bags in but one, and opened it as she walked out of the school. She knew her dad would be waiting on her and she wasn't looking forward to it. Luckily Matt spotted her before she could drive away, asking her how she had managed the day and then applauding her when she joked about wanting to chomp on an annoying classmate but didn't. She remembered how Matt had told her how hard it had been to resist when he came back to school, so she had been expecting the day to be worse than it was.

They kept talking until Caroline's phone rang as she received a call from her mom. When she heard her dad was there waiting on her she said she would be home soon before telling Matt that she had told her mom. He looked at her worriedly, but she said her mom was trying to accept it; she just didn't know how her father would take the news or what he would do. He offered to come as back-up but she declined, thanking him for the offer, before saying she'd see him when her father was done with her and got into her car.

She stopped a couple blocks away and drained about 3 blood bags knowing she would need it; not just because of her father but for how the day had been. When she was finished she put them in a trash bag in her trunk and headed home, pulling the chips from the passenger seat to munch on instead of her family. When she walked in she put her backpack in her room and went into the kitchen, knowing it would be where her father was. He looked up at her and she put the chips on the table but remained standing.

 _"This shouldn't have happened. I never thought I'd see the day my daughter turned into a vampire."_ Bill said angrily as he kept his gaze away from her and Caroline closed her eyes to fight the tears that were forming from her thoughts before looking over at him again.

 _"I know."_ She whispered in return not knowing what else to say.

 _"Did you kill anyone today?"_ He asked and she was glad to have an answer for that; one she was proud of.

 _"No."_

 _"Did you drink from anyone?"_

 _"No I drank from a blood bag and last night I drank from a few animals."_ Caroline stated so she could put her father at ease at least a little bit and his anger would die down before they continued; yet it didn't work and he stayed tense.

 _"So far you've stayed in control?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"Did you want to drink blood from anyone? Did you get angry with someone?"_ He interrogated further and Caroline felt the beginnings of frustration come up at his questions; she may have been turned into a vampire but she was still herself.

 _"I got annoyed with a few people… but I could smell everyone's blood. I went to the bathroom a couple times so I could make sure I stayed in control."_ She offered and saw her father finally turn to look at her.

 _"So you did want to drink from someone?"_ He asked as he gave her a look that left her feeling scared.

 _"Only when someone got really close…"_

 _"We'll have to fix that… I can't have you living here with your mother if you don't have complete control of yourself."_ He cut her off from explaining further and she felt a small amount of relief come up when he said "living with your mother"; maybe he wasn't planning on killing her.

 _"I wouldn't hurt her…"_ Caroline insisted, but her father cut her off again.

 _"You're a vampire! Until you learn control I will work with you every day to ensure you don't have any 'accidents'"_ He screamed and she quieted down so she wouldn't anger him again; yet she knew she'd never hurt him or her mom, even if they hurt her.

 _"I understand."_ She whispered and looked up to see him watching her reactions intently.

 _"You know where you used to lock me up before I started locking up with Tyler?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"Every day when you get out of school you are to go there. Have you turned into a wolf yet?"_ He asked and she was about to just say no, but she thought he might need to know how she ALMOST did.

 _"Almost… it was before I got turned into a hybrid."_

 _"Who did you kill?"_ He asked evenly and she could see his anger coming out again so she knew she'd have to explain everything quickly.

 _"Nobody…"_

 _"DO. NOT. LIE. TO. ME."_ He cut her off as he stood and banged his fists against the table. She knew she had to get everything out at once about her almost-shift or he'd likely do something before they got to the cells.

 _"I'm not lying… Tyler got changed before me. When I saw him die and everyone afraid I got angry and I started shifting, but I didn't kill anybody."_ She explained and saw him take his seat again before releasing a breath and looking back at her.

 _"Do you know what that means?"_

 _"The hybrid said it was because I was an alpha."_ She said and saw him nod in agreement. She briefly wondered if her dad would explain more about being a wolf now, or if he would just make sure she had her vampire side in control.

 _"You are an alpha; an alpha female and the first one our family has ever had."_

 _"What are you saying exactly?"_ She asked when she couldn't figure out the significance behind his little statement.

 _"A long time ago a witch told our ancestors that when our family had an alpha female there would be a change, and the girl would need to be ready for the challenges."_

 _"What challenges?"_ She asked worriedly as she wondered whether or not being a hybrid was the "changes" the witch had meant.

 _"She didn't specify the challenges Caroline. But that's why I've always been strict with you. I made sure you couldn't be compelled so your mind would be your own, and then I made sure you were in control of yourself. But now that you're a vampire… we have to reteach you."_

 _"I still can't be compelled…"_ She offered and hoped he wouldn't be as hard on her as he must have originally planned; at least she wouldn't have to be retaught that particular lesson.

 _"Are you sired to the man that made you?"_ Bill asked and Caroline felt her confusion come up again; she hadn't heard anything about sired before.

 _"What do you mean?"_ She asked as her mind took off in a million directions. What is being sired? How does it affect you? How would I even know if I was sired or not?

 _"When he tells you to do something, do you do it?"_

 _"No… but Tyler… oh my god…"_ Caroline realized and spoke her thoughts as everything the night before made sense; Tyler was sired to Klaus.

 _"Tyler listens to him?"_

 _"Yes."_ Caroline answered and wondered why Tyler had been sired and she hadn't.

 _"When I'm done working with you I'll help him, but you can't say anything to anybody about Tyler being sired. If he hears that he is he might tell the one that turned you both and it could turn things from bad to worse."_

 _"Okay… but… does that mean that Tyler was just following orders when he made me finish turning into a vampire?"_ She asked needing to know the answer, but afraid to hear it as well; even if she figured her theory was correct.

 _"He could have been, but without knowing if the vampire influenced his will there's no way to be sure."_

 _"Another thing… I told Tyler to leave me alone today… and I don't know what happened exactly, but he listened; almost like he had to."_ She spoke up as she noticed her father scooting around in his chair about to stand and she wanted to stall as long as she could; plus she REALLY wanted to know what was up with Tyler obeying her.

 _"Tyler isn't an alpha and you are; he has to listen to the orders given by the alpha of his pack. You two considered the three of us a pack of sorts so he would have to listen to you."_

 _"So if our sire told him to do something, could I tell him not to and he would follow it?"_ She asked hopefully and saw her dad look away as if to think of an answer.

 _"How old is the vampire?"_

 _"Centuries and he's a hybrid."_

 _"He's an older alpha… his order would be stronger than either of ours. The only way to give Tyler his freedom would be to find out the bond that created the sire bond to begin with and remove it."_ Bill stated and Caroline felt her shoulders sag with the weight of everything.

 _"How?"_

 _"Did either of you meet this man before last night?"_

 _"No."_

 _"My guess is he's grateful he doesn't have to turn unless he wants to. That gratitude would form a bond. He could also be grateful he won't grow old and die like a normal wolf. Either way… it'll be hard, but the first guess would be easier to break."_

 _"How would you do it?"_ Caroline asked as she wondered how difficult it would be, and if she could get Tyler out of being sired herself.

 _"Tyler would have to embrace the pain that comes from turning… so he would have to turn over and over until he wasn't grateful anymore."_

 _"Would I develop a sire bond if I turned?"_ Caroline wondered out loud a little fearfully since she knew without a doubt that she didn't ever want to go through that.

 _"No… if you don't have one now you won't have one."_

 _"If my sire's orders overrule ours, then how do I not have to follow his orders by basic instinct?"_

 _"Because you're the first alpha female of our bloodline… being the first alpha or the first alpha female gives you a little more willpower than a regular alpha, and tons more than a normal wolf. There is another reason but you aren't ready to know it yet… I have it written down in a journal that will be given to you when I am gone."_

 _"Daddy I need to know everything there is… my life as well as other people's lives depend on what we can figure out and get rid of this guy…"_ Caroline ranted desperately but Bill shook his head and held up his hand to silence her.

 _"On this you'll have to wait. It wouldn't help you kill him anyway."_

 _"Daddy…"_ Caroline tried again but she found herself cut off again.

 _"It's time we get on our way… we have a long evening ahead of us."_ He stated and she looked at him for a minute before looking at her mom to see her with her face in her hands and stood to follow her father. _"Now that you've triggered your wolf gene, and you're the first alpha female, did you notice you didn't automatically follow my instructions?"_

 _"Yes."_ She answered as they stepped out of the house and got in his car.

 _"I can't make you control yourself anymore… this will be up to you. If you can't stay in control I'll be forced to kill you. Don't make me have to choose that path for you."_ He warned and she nodded. He started driving towards the ruins on the other side of town, stopping at the council building to pick up vervain, ropes, knives, and a small stash of wolfsbane to add to the materials he already had in the trunk. When they got there she helped him unload all the devices she would be tortured with, hoping she wouldn't mess up; she knew her friends would need all the help they could get.

The first order of the evening was being strapped to a chair by vervain and wolfsbane covered ropes, and she scrunched her face when she felt the burning of her skin. When he was sure she couldn't move or break away he put water in three different buckets; one for mixing wolfsbane, one for vervain, and one for a combination of the two. Then he pulled a turkey baster out of his bag and sucked up wolfsbane in it since she was quite used to its effects and he wanted to start with the simplest.

She felt the wolfsbane poured onto her head and shoulders and grit her teeth, trying not to make a sound, but she noticed it burned more than it ever had before. She figured it was amplified because her wolf gene was activated and dreaded when her father would switch to vervain because she hadn't experienced it before. Pain she was used to she could deal with, but pain from something that hadn't harmed her before had her worried and she couldn't see which bucket her father went to next; if he switched at all. When she felt the burn again she sniffed the scent and picked up it was still wolfsbane, but she held back from showing her pain again.

It took over an hour before her father switched to vervain, and she didn't need to smell it to know he had; it burned worse than the wolfsbane and she had to grip the arm rests of the chair and curl her toes to keep from screaming. Her father noticed the difference in her reactions and explained she needed to adapt to the change and build up a tolerance. She nodded and he poured more on her, pausing only to let her skin knit back together when it started melting away. She wanted nothing more than to scream but she knew it wouldn't help her; it would only make matters worse. She couldn't help the little whimpers that would escape right before he would take a break, or the tears that leaked out every time the vervain would touch her skin.

When he had finished the vervain she had almost stopped healing and her hunger had returned. She felt the veins trying to surface so she pulled some of her focus into keeping them at bay. Her father pulled out a blood bag and held it in front of her, causing the veins to come out completely; screaming when she felt the wolfsbane/vervain mixture on her back. Her father told her to push her hunger back; to not let it control her. When he put the blood bag back in front of her the veins came back again so he poured more of the mixture on her. She tried to keep from screaming but she couldn't hold it back anymore; needing blood to heal and having two forms of liquid tortured poured on her was becoming too much for that day.

Her father carried on as she tried unsuccessfully to keep her face from changing and to not scream until he was out of the mixture. He pulled the tube open on the blood bag and she sucked in a breath, knowing her face would change but couldn't stop it. When she felt a knife stab into her leg she almost felt bad for Klaus; almost. Her father jerked it out and held the bag in front of her again. With her reaction being the same he stabbed her other leg. He kept going with that exercise until it was dark and she had stopped healing, knowing she needed blood badly. When her father placed the tube against her mouth it took all her willpower not to suck the blood into her mouth, but her father told her they were done for the day and she could drink.

Once he had fed her two bags he untied her and let her feed herself another bag before they left. He let her know they would start with the blood exercises the next day and kept at it until she could control both her hunger and own her pain. When she passed they would move on to shifting so she could learn to shift quicker; and being a hybrid meant she would need to learn friend from foe so she wouldn't attack anyone in her wolf form. She almost groaned with everything her father was telling her but she knew it was better than them hating her so she accepted it.

When her father dropped her off she trudged inside and saw her mother sitting in the living room waiting for her. She told her she was alright but she knew her mother could tell she wasn't. She supposed she looked awful from the day and dreaded looking in the mirror when she took her shower. She told her mom she was going to shower before she ate dinner and walked to her room to gather her clothes; pausing when she saw her reflection; she looked completely ragged and could barely recognize herself in the mirror. Out of curiosity she allowed the veins to creep up under her eyes and looked to see what she looked like, but pushed them back almost immediately; it reminded her too much of Tyler the night before.

After her shower she grabbed her homework and took it to the table to work on while she ate. Her mother followed her, asking her how it had gone and what he had done. She didn't want to go into specifics so she gave her a quick summary, as well as what they would be working on the next day and so on. When she looked up at her mother again she saw she had been shaking in an effort not to cry so she told her she really was fine; just tired. She never really could lie worth anything so she wasn't surprised when her mom scoffed and left the table. So she finished her dinner as quick as she could and took her homework back to her room with her; stretching out across the bed and fighting her exhaustion so she could finish. But as soon as she was done she put everything up and hollered to her mom goodnight before turning the light off and going straight to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It had been a week since she had been turned and every evening since the first day of school she had been working with her father; so needless to say she was beyond exhausted. What she wasn't expecting was her friends to figure out Tyler was sired to Klaus; thanks to Damon knowing about sire bonds. Nor was she expecting to see her mom's police cruiser when she pulled up by the ruins. She couldn't figure out why her mom would be there but as soon as she stepped out she could hear her mother arguing with her father; apparently not liking how he had been treating their daughter. She flashed to where they were and they both quieted and looked at her. She sat her bag down and walked over to sit in the chair to wait on her father to tie her up again.

Her mother refused to leave and watched Bill tie her up and Caroline didn't let it show that the ropes hurt her. She knew her mother wouldn't be able to handle seeing her in pain since their relationship had strengthened over the past couple of years as Liz faced that her daughter and ex-husband were werewolves; even if Caroline hadn't triggered her curse until now. So she wasn't surprised by any of her mother's reactions when her face changed or when she had tried to keep from screaming every time the vervain/wolfsbane mix hit her skin. Bill threatened to bolt the door if Liz stepped into the cell so she stayed at the door, barely restraining herself and Caroline nodded to her to let her know she was okay.

She knew she had a couple hours to go by the light on the wall when she started being unable to contain the screams anymore; which sounded more like sobs but her body was so tired she could barely make a sound. When she heard her mom tell Bill to stop and stepped into the room with her gun pointed he did. Caroline saw her mom take a knife and cut the ropes loose before reaching down and trying to pull her up. Caroline couldn't put much resistance against her mother's efforts so she pushed her legs to stand. When her face changed from smelling her mother's blood and hearing the heartbeat she froze and concentrated on controlling herself. When her vampire face subsided and Caroline breathed in and out slowly her mother insisted they at least move on to another exercise; sure that Caroline could control her hunger since she was starving but hadn't attacked either of them.

Her father reluctantly agreed and Liz lowered her gun as he handed the blood bag to Caroline. She turned away from them to drink it as he pulled another one out of his bag. When he reached it around her she held on to it for a minute before drinking it down; making sure her face was normal before turning back. Her father led them to an empty cell and told her to enter while they stayed out and he bolted the door. Then he told her to shift as quickly as she could because he would be timing each transformation until she improved; knowing it took longer in the beginning but shortened as they matured. He wasn't too sure if it would be the same for Caroline now or not since she was a hybrid and wouldn't get older so she would have to shift to find the answer.

It was definitely more painful than the night she started to shift; the night she had become a hybrid. She didn't start screaming until her back snapped, but she let her anger rise up to fuel her like it had before. When she let her anger take over her bones snapped faster and faster until she felt the pain stop and she looked around. She saw her hands were now paws and turned her head to try and see what the rest of her body looked like; seeing her fur was white instead of black like other wolves she had seen besides her father. She heard her father asked her if she was in control and she couldn't think of how to answer so she forced her head to go up and down; internally laughing at herself for still answering like a human instead of a wolf.

When she heard the door unbolt she sat down on her back legs to wait and see what he would do. He brought her a blanket and her gym bag that had her clothes in it into the room before kneeling down and rubbing the top of her head like he used to do when she was little. She could sense he was a wolf while a wolf herself; not just smell it. She looked past him to her mother and rested her upper body on the ground so she could crawl forward to her; or at least what she would call crawling but she couldn't really tell. She made a whining sound when she got to Liz's feet and her mother reached down to rub her head like Bill had done, and Caroline curled up against her more.

Bill told her she did well controlling her instincts in wolf form, but she still needed to keep shifting back and forth to improve her time. She didn't really want to feel that over and over until dark but she knew there wasn't a choice when it came to her father; he had already warned her what he would do if she couldn't get through this. So she nuzzled her mother one more time before pulling at the blanket; there was no way she would let them see her naked. She figured her father understood what she was doing and put the blanket over her completely.

Once she heard the door bolted she had a moment of panic not knowing how to turn back. She couldn't ask him and there wasn't anyone else around she could get it from; she wished she would have asked before turning but it was too late now. She decided to try turning back the same way she had changed into a wolf; letting her anger come rushing back and her bones started snapping. There wasn't a way for her to keep time while changing, but she felt it was quicker than becoming a wolf. She was glad the blanket hadn't completely come off and even happier her parents had moved away from the window on the door. So she let them know she was back as she pulled the blanket closer and her father told her to switch back and forth until dark.

Over and over she turned back and forth, using her anger fuel her change and it blocked a lot of the pain out. She did notice it got easier and quicker, but even with her anger fueling her it didn't get any less painful. She couldn't have been happier in her life to see it was night and time for her to quit. When her father unbolted the door she clutched at the blanket but neither of them came in so she put on her clothes and stumbled out to them. Her mother handed her a blood bag but she declined it as she tried to gather her stuff so she could put it in her car. She heard her father tell her to drink it and looked up at him curiously, but he told her they were done.

She stood still wondering if she passed his expectations or if he was going to kill her. When he said he was going home and wouldn't be back until it was time to help Tyler she breathed in relief. She nodded and waited for him to leave before sitting down and letting it all sink in. She had been through hell every day for a week and it was hard to believe her father was finished; but she figured it was because of her mother, who was holding the blood bag out again. She took it this time, draining it as they walked out and to their cars when Liz informed her that she had to go to work but she'd see her in the morning.

Caroline drove home and heated up leftovers, doing her homework while she ate quickly. But once again she found herself stretched across her bed to finish it, looking forward to not having to go to her father after school the next day. She had been grateful for a weekend until she learned her father wanted to 'condition' her a full day instead of just the evening time. But she took every day a step at a time and now she was done; feeling accomplished and ready to help free Tyler when her father came back.

She had talked to him a few times at school but refused to talk about anything hybrid related; especially Klaus. But the threat of Klaus followed wherever she went and knew her friends were trying to spare her the details since she was upset over Tyler, but she knew something was going on. She just hoped she could help with whatever they had planned; which wasn't likely since Damon was doing most of the planning. And they knew she wasn't sired, but Damon kept bringing up that her feelings for Tyler would cloud her judgment. She felt caught between Tyler and her friends and didn't know what she could do until her father came back; although she didn't want to rely just on him.

She put her homework up and went for her shower wondering if she could get Tyler to break his sire bond without her father's help. She hadn't been able to see him in pain the night they had been turned, so she doubted she could be the one inflicting it. She knew one thing for sure; whether or not her friends and Tyler wanted her help she would give it. So she knew she had to come up with a plan and start learning how to fight. But who would be willing to teach her? She could ask Matt or even Damon; since Damon was always looking for a fight and he was older so he'd know more than Matt. So as she rinsed she planned to train every other day and work on her tolerance for vervain and wolfsbane on the other days. When she was back in her room she pulled her phone out and called Damon before she lost her nerve.

 _"What you want Blondie?"_

 _"Okay so you hate me right?"_

 _"Is that a trick question?"_

 _"What would you say to a chance to kick my ass every other day?"_

 _"Again… is that a trick question?"_

 _"No it's not a trick question… I want to learn how to fight and you would like to, as I said, kick my ass multiple times."_

 _"Why are you not asking my brother? He doesn't have his emotions on so he wouldn't object to a little bloodshed."_

 _"Because he would probably outright kill me where you wouldn't because Elena would hate you and you don't want her to."_ She answered confidently.

 _"Low blow Blondie… but you got a deal. When do you want to start?"_

 _"After school the day after tomorrow."_

 _"Meet me by the falls then."_ She heard with a click and smiled at her luck before scrolling down to see Tyler's name and deciding not to call him. She scrolled up to Elena's name and called her instead.

 _"Hello?"_

 _"Hey 'Lena."_

 _"Hey Care… you alright? You sound tired."_

 _"I am tired… I've been working with my dad every day for a week; plus school and adjusting and…"_

 _"I get it… you don't have to explain."_

 _"I actually called to ask you for a favor."_

 _"What is it?"_

 _"I asked Damon to teach me how to fight and I want you there so I know he won't kill me."_

 _"Of all the people Caroline…"_

 _"I know but I need to know and I can't ask Stefan right now, and Matt hasn't learned everything about being a vampire yet so he isn't a good option."_

 _"Alright I'll go but I don't see how me being there will make a difference."_

 _"Because you're Elena and this is Damon we're talking about… you know how he feels about you and he wouldn't piss you off THAT much; like hate him forever for killing one of your best friends kind of hate."_

 _"Okay I see your point… when?"_

 _"After school the day after tomorrow. I'm going to train every other day after school and I guess we'll talk about weekends before we get to one."_

 _"Alright… maybe Bonnie or Matt could fill in if I can't make it some days."_

 _"That's fine… as long as I don't have to be alone with him."_

 _"Well I'll see you tomorrow Care, I'm going to bed."_

 _"Okay goodnight 'Lena."_

 _"Night Care."_ She heard followed by a click. Feeling relieved she had a plan started and that she would have one day to rest up she laid down to go to sleep.

 ** _Training…_**

She wasn't too sure about training anymore when she landed on the ground again after being pushed for what had to be the millionth time. Every time she threw a punch he blocked it but she couldn't block all of his and she would end up flying again. She got up again letting her aggravation come out to play and when he reached for her throat again she managed to evade, spinning around to grab his arm, break it, and toss him through the air. He quickly recovered and attacked, knocking her down.

 _"I'm older than you little girl."_

 _"Well I'm angrier!"_ She responded and pulled her foot up to kick him off, sending him flying again; thankful for all those years of cheerleading making her flexible and giving her a slight edge that Damon didn't have. Little flips, jumps, and bending had helped her against him, but when she channeled her anger she found she could overpower him; she just needed to be sure to not get angry enough to start her shifting. She might not like him, but that didn't mean she wanted to kill him either. What bothered her more than Damon beating her was when he became predictable and she would beat him; she wanted to learn to fight for when it mattered, not just be able to beat Damon's ass whenever she wanted. She knew her being a hybrid made up for her youth against the century and a half aged vampire, so she wasn't worried about going against them.

She was worried about going against the originals and other hybrids should they have to. She wasn't even sure how to kill an original but she knew ripping out the heart or cutting off the head would kill a hybrid; unlike a vampire where you could stake them as well. She didn't think there was much point in fighting with Damon so when they were done she figured she would talk to him. She could see Elena watching them worriedly, but she didn't pay attention to her little gasps or how her heartbeat would pick up any time either of them took a fall. So when they were done they walked over so she would know they both were okay would live to hate each other another day.

 _"Are you two alright? That was just… insane."_ Elena rushed as she tilted her head and then pressed her lips as if to keep from saying anything further.

 _"Come on 'Lena… did you not see how easy that was after a while?"_

 _"Says you Blondie… I thought today would be more fun."_ Damon cut in sarcastically as he snapped his arm and fingers back in place.

 _"I don't think this is gonna work. I mean… it only took an hour and I was fighting just as good as you."_ Caroline mused out loud as she waved in Damon's direction; she needed to be able to fight off bigger fish.

 _"I don't think you need me to train you. Maybe you should ask Tyler since you both are hybrids. It might help you work out some of that unresolved tension between the two of you."_

 _"Damon you know I can't ask Tyler because he's sired and he's probably been told to report everything back to Klaus. If he has and I ask him to fight it'll raise suspicion and he might come back here. I don't want to risk it."_

 _"We'll sort it out… we still don't know what he wants from you."_ Damon said so she'd drop the subject and she glared in his direction; of course he'd want to talk about Klaus.

 _"I told you what he said before he left… he told me to adjust and to watch Elena to make sure she didn't die or become a vampire. Hence I only see her at school and I haven't called much. And adjusting was a given because it's either adjust or die."_

 _"We know you aren't sired so that's why you are our back-up plan; you could get Elena and whoever else out of here if you needed to."_ Damon stated and Caroline was about to reply but Elena beat her to it.

 _"Damon you cannot tell me how to live my life and don't try to use mine and Caroline's friendship to get her to go against my wishes. If I want to stay I'll stay and if I want to go I'll go."_ Elena cut in before stomping off to Caroline's car to wait on her.

 _"She's just frustrated Damon… she's blaming herself for everything happening and it's Klaus' fault; not hers."_ She explained feeling a little guilty since she had used Damon's feelings for Elena to help her learn how to fight. _"I'll figure out another way to train but if you have an off day and want to fight you can call me; I'll kick your ass any day."_ She said and he nodded so she grabbed her bag and went to her car, hearing him flash away. When she got in the car Elena didn't feel like talking so she dropped her off at home, sending Damon a text to try and convince Elena to train with him in case she needed it. She sent Elena a text to agree to learn before she put her phone up and drove home. When she got home she parked and ran up the porch steps, nearly jumping out of skin when she saw Tyler sitting on the porch swing.

 _"Hey."_ He offered when she wasn't startled anymore. _"I thought I'd come see you since you won't come see me."_

 _"It's fine… mom's not home so I can't invite you in…"_ Caroline replied feeling a little nervous, yet she didn't know why.

 _"It's alright."_ He offered and she nodded before they stood there in silence for a couple minutes. She wished she didn't have to keep pushing him away or that she wasn't still slightly angry at him for making her turn, but she had to make sure they were safe from Klaus; and as long as Tyler was sired to Klaus everyone needed to be safe from Tyler.

 _"So what are you doing here?"_ Caroline asked when she finally realized that neither of them was saying anything.

 _"I miss you."_

 _"I miss you too… you know I'm not avoiding you because of you, right?"_ She replied and asked but she saw him look away and shake his head as he got irritated before looking back at her.

 _"Yeah everyone has you thinking I'm sired to Klaus."_

 _"You are sired to him Tyler. We don't know what he'd make you do."_ Caroline stated calmly as she tried to make him see reason, but she knew it wouldn't be that easy.

 _"I'd never hurt you…"_ He insisted and she huffed as she felt her eyes trying to tear up; he obviously didn't see forcing her to turn as hurting her, but it had.

 _"Tyler you forced Elena's blood down my throat and I don't know if it was because you were that desperate for me to live or if you were following orders."_

 _"You know I wanted you to live…"_

 _"We're getting off point here… I don't want to fight with you. I want to help you…"_ She said as she tried to change the subject, but Tyler interrupted her angrily again.

 _"I don't need help Caroline."_ He said as he stood and held his arms out as if the gesture would explain everything on his mind. _"Everyone is acting like this a burden for me, or that I'm gonna be Klaus' little lapdog and tell him every little detail about everyone's lives and I'm not. I've never felt better… and I don't have to turn again unless I want to…"_

 _"It's not bad enough to praise Klaus for changing you…"_ She objected and saw him shake her head as if she was some clueless idiot that didn't understand him.

 _"You don't know what it's like to have to change…"_

 _"I HAVE changed Tyler! I know exactly what it feels like and I chose to feel it. Pain is a part of living… whether it's a little or a lot. Yes it hurts… but knowing what I know now I would still have chosen the same way."_ She finished and walked towards the door, not wanting to hear him take up for Klaus anymore.

 _"Why did you turn?"_

 _"Because I wanted to Tyler… I nearly turned when you died and I wanted to become the wolf in me just to know what it was like…"_ Caroline argued so he would understand that there wasn't anything he knew that she didn't about pain; if anything it was the opposite.

 _"You've always been stronger and able to do things no one expected of you…"_

 _"Because I had to work for every bit of it; every ounce of strength, every little fact I know, for every word I say even because I had to think through my thoughts and analyze them before choosing what I want to say. I couldn't be that shallow little girl I was anymore; I grew up."_

 _"And I love that about you… every little thing. I wouldn't want to be who I used to be either."_

 _"No because we wouldn't even be talking right now. So before you start acting like I don't care, I want you to know it's because I care that I want to help you; I want you to be free to make your own choices and not have to do every little thing HE says."_ She finally got to finish her rant and felt her chest heaving in anger and sadness.

 _"And how do I do that?"_

 _"Just trust me when I say that one day you will be… no matter what either of us has to do to get that for you."_ She said as she thought about her father and what he would be doing to him soon enough.

 _"Alright… I don't see how but we'll see. I've got to get home… mom's still freaking out about everything."_

 _"So is mine. My father… I honestly thought he would kill me but he didn't."_

 _"Did he hurt you?"_ Tyler asked and she could see the worry on his face. She knew if she confided in him about what it had been like with her father then Klaus might hear about it and she couldn't risk that.

 _"He helped me… that's all I can say."_ She said as she bit her lip and he walked over to her. She wanted to tell him so badly about her father and what he would have to do but she knew she couldn't yet. If Klaus found out it could turn deadly and he had already threatened her father once before; she didn't want to risk them both plus her friends because she missed her boyfriend. So when he leaned in and pulled her the rest of the way to him she didn't pull away. She savored feeling his lips against hers and letting the hope for all of their futures warm her before she felt him pull away. They looked at each other for a few seconds before he walked off the porch and looked around to see if anyone was watching before flashing away.

She quickly walked inside before she broke down on her porch. Feeling the door behind her she let her tears fall. She knew her mom wouldn't be home and she would probably work all night so she moved upstairs to lie in her bed while she allowed herself time to miss Tyler; as well as be afraid of what he would have to face. She laid there for over an hour before she heard a knock and she got up to answer it; checking her face in the mirror to remove any signs of crying on her way. Seeing Matt at the door made her curious but without an invite he couldn't get in.

 _"Hey… what are you doing here?"_ She asked as she opened the door.

 _"Just thought I'd check on you… Elena told me you trained with Damon today."_

 _"Oh… yea it went alright. Actually it was kind of easy; too easy."_ Caroline gave up and let Matt see the disappointment she felt from trying to be taught to fight better.

 _"She was worried about you which got me worried so I'm here."_

 _"Tyler was here when I got home… it's really hard to stay away from him."_ She offered so he could understand that it wasn't the training that had her feeling so down.

 _"I know how that is… or did you forget you were human when I became a vampire?"_

 _"But it's not from wanting to drain him dry or vice versa that's keeping us apart… it's that he's sired and I don't know if what he does is because of himself or Klaus."_

 _"Hey… I still understand. Tyler's my friend and I miss hanging out with him because of the same reasons. It may not be as bad as you, but it's still frustrating."_

 _"It's torturous at this point."_ She whined and felt him bump her shoulder with his with a look.

 _"So what are you going to do?"_ He asked and she knew he was trying to get the wheels in her head going; everyone knew she was a planner.

 _"What do you think I'm going to do? I'm gonna keep it how it's been until I can help him and then I'll put everything I have into that."_

 _"We'll get him back… somehow. It's gonna take time though."_ He said and she huffed in frustration before deciding to try and lighten the conversation back up.

 _"We're vampires so it's entirely possible."_ She replied and they shared a laugh. It felt good to have a moment of hope with Matt; they may have ended their relationship a while back but they were still friends.

 _"Good point… but aside from people problems… how are you doing with being a vampire?"_

 _"I've accepted it… and I can control it instead of letting it control me."_

 _"I still have problems… there are days I where I worry I'll slip and become like Stefan or Damon."_

 _"Then I'll be there and I'll kick your ass until you're back on track. And eventually Tyler will be there too. Right now I don't even know how he's doing with his urges for blood or his emotions."_

 _"He's probably taking it harder because we can't be there for him…"_

 _"That's it…"_ Caroline interrupted him as an idea clicked in her mind.

 _"What?"_

 _"We can still help him with blood urges as long as we don't have to talk about anything else that he might tell Klaus."_

 _"Genius… lets go."_ He replied and Caroline wrote out a note for her mom before grabbing her house key. When Matt looked at her funny for walking past her car, she rolled her eyes and waved for him to follow her. She led them to the woods before flashing towards the Lockwood mansion with Matt following behind her. When they got there Caroline knocked on the door and smiled when Tyler answered.

 _"Okay so I came up with a really good idea…"_

 _"Care… now's not a good time."_

 _"How have you been doing with blood?"_

 _"I don't really know how I would judge that…"_

 _"I'm in control… and so is Matt. He stopped by and we were talking about how much we missed you and we figured out a way to see you more."_ She stated and couldn't help the small amount of excitement that welled up at the possibilities that would open up with her plan.

 _"And what is that?"_

 _"We'll work with you to make sure you don't have an accident. As long as we just help you finish adjusting to being a vampire it's not crossing some invisible boundary and we'll get to see you more."_

 _"So when do we start?"_

 _"Come with us and we'll start right now."_

 _"I can't right now… my mom is being my mom. But I'll talk to her and let her know that I'm going to spend time with you two… so maybe tomorrow."_

 _"Okay we'll see you tomorrow. Meet us by the falls."_ She said excitedly and he smiled back before closing the door. When they flashed away she heard Matt call her name once they were a couple miles from Tyler's house.

 _"What?"_

 _"Don't you think it was a little weird that he showed up at your house, but when you show up at his he can't talk long?"_

 _"He couldn't talk long at my house… he said his mom was expecting him back. And just now he told us his mom was being difficult."_

 _"What if Klaus is in there? Or what if he had Klaus on the phone or something?"_

 _"Why would he?"_

 _"I don't know and I don't want to sound paranoid… but it's a possibility."_ Matt explained and Caroline hoped he was wrong.

 _"Well tomorrow we'll be out in the woods with Tyler so maybe he'll explain it on his own… it may not be Klaus-related at all."_

 _"I hope that too… but I'm still saying that it could be. Don't say anything important tomorrow and watch how you answer anything he asks…"_

 _"I know Matt… that's what I've been doing all week."_

 _"We just got to keep doing that a little longer. Hopefully Klaus will be dead soon and we can go back to all our lives."_

 _"Yea hopefully."_

 _"I'm gonna go home… I've got to get ready for my shift. I'll see you at school tomorrow."_

 _"See ya Matt."_ She said as she flashed away and went towards her house. When she got there her mother still hadn't been home so she crumbled up her note and threw it away. She decided to put the supernatural drama aside for the rest of the night and work on homecoming since it wasn't far away and she needed to come up with everything for it still.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The weeks passed slowly as homecoming approached, as she and Matt met with Tyler nearly every day, but a little before the day of homecoming Matt stopped going with Caroline. She didn't mind because it gave them more time to each other to discuss where they were in regards to each other. She was proud that he had his bloodlust under control, and she finally had him keeping his urge to compel his way through everything away. It seemed like he was in control, but it never left her mind that he was still sired. She had tried to get him to go with her to turn into wolves together but he didn't want to shift; and a part of her missed it but didn't want to change alone. So on the nights she had to lock up her father she would bolt the door and listen as the chains rattled and her father grunted with his shifting before she would shift herself.

She felt better in her wolf form guarding her father, and found that they could understand each other when they attempted talking in wolf. It seemed to keep her father calmer and he didn't try to break out like he always had before. And when he started shifting back she would shift with him so she could get into her clothes before giving him his. What made it better was that her father wouldn't do their normal torture session afterwards and she would go home to see her mom looking at her worriedly, but since it was better she smiled for reassurance. And the days after the full moon her father would call her mother, so Caroline would go far enough away to not overhear; but when she came back her mom told her she was allowed to shift in the house as long as she didn't leave or get seen. She debated it but thought it would be better if she didn't because she never knew when someone would stop by; she didn't want to risk getting seen and have the privilege revoked.

Another problem was her friends would meet regularly and she wasn't invited; she didn't like not being informed on what was going to happen. It felt like they didn't trust her like they couldn't Tyler; even though they knew she wasn't sired and he was. She had caught snippets of their conversations but not enough to give her anything. She could see Elena and Bonnie always whispering to each other, with Matt occasionally joining them. She hadn't seen Stefan much, but when she had it made her feel helpless; she wondered if she could help him like her father planned to do with Tyler. She knew Stefan had been compelled to turn his emotions off and report everything back to Klaus; apparently the guy needed more than one spy to get his information from. She was just glad Klaus hadn't been back or gotten a hold of her at all; she wouldn't have talked to him anyway.

So when she arrived at school to see everyone standing outside and the fire department running in and out, she looked around to find her friends. She couldn't find Elena or Bonnie but she saw Matt and he told her the gym had flooded so they would have to cancel the dance. She groaned when she thought about all the work she had put into homecoming and now they couldn't even have it. Something must have happened because there was no way the gym would just flood; she wondered if it was part of the whispered conversations of her friends. But as she went through the crowd she heard that the dance would be moving to Tyler's house and wondered what was going on.

Had Tyler sabotaged the dance? Had her friends? She didn't like not knowing, but there wasn't anything someone could do to keep her from going. When she got there she saw a band playing and beer kegs everywhere with her classmates already dancing around. She tried to find Tyler first to see if he would tell her anything but picked up on the scent of hybrids and knew it meant that either Klaus was in town himself or he had sent his new little creations for him. She decided to keep to her normal friends for a while since she didn't see Elena or Bonnie anywhere; also seeing Matt hanging with his football friends. When Tyler found her she gave him a look but didn't say anything, so when he asked her to go inside with him so they could talk she followed thinking he would fill her in on what was going on. What she didn't expect was for everything to go black after feeling his hands on her neck.

 ** _Klaus POV…_**

He made sure everything was in order before speaking to Tyler to see if he knew about any plan his friends had. They had been inside the house since he didn't venture out much because he had invitation to the Lockwood mansion. He didn't trust that his father was dead, even if Stefan had told him he saw the body, and he had compelled him before leaving. During one of the ventures out of the house he spotted his second-made hybrid talking to a few humans; looking extravagant in a red dress that clung to her. He looked around to his hybrids knowing they were to protect him with their lives, but he didn't know if she knew what was going on or not.

He didn't want to risk losing such potential so he pulled Tyler out and started speaking to him. He let him think he knew something was going on, pointing out how dangerous things could be for any of the humans there; along with his friends. Then he pointed out Caroline, referring to her as Tyler's pretty little girlfriend, knowing it would motivate Tyler to get her out of the picture for her own safety. He wasn't a 1000 year old idiot; he knew Tyler hadn't broken up with her, nor had he even told her what he had shared with the boy the night he turned them. So he had to set things up just right; if he wouldn't let the girl go he would make sure Caroline left Tyler. He had turned a few alphas during his time away and couldn't wait to see how she reacted when he told her the truth. No doubt she would decline them all, still thinking she could be with Tyler, but in the end she would have to give in to her nature. When he had talked to Tyler he had made sure to ask how he was adjusting and how his friends had been accepting him.

He didn't care one way or another for Tyler's adjustment; he just wanted information out of him, but he had to make it seem like he cared to make the boy loyal. He hadn't been expecting to hear that Caroline wasn't sired to him; he knew something had been different with her but he hadn't been able to place it. Hearing there was no sire bond with her and knowing he couldn't control her another way, he knew he would have to appeal to her or use leverage against her should it be called for. As she was now she was a complete wild card and he couldn't have that; the only reason he hadn't made Tyler tell her the truth yet was so he could keep her under watch unknowingly.

Tyler had also told him how much control she had over her hunger and that she and the quarterback had been trying to help him with the bloodlust and compulsion. What struck him was when Tyler told him about Caroline's invitation to transform into wolves with her. Had she been shifting on her own free will? How often had she turned? What was the girl like in her wolf form? It was a sight he wanted to see. He knew the Forbes line was a powerful line, considered highly compared to other lines, but he didn't have all her information yet; family records were hard to come by for her so he was relying on memories which weren't much since he had never actually seen a Forbes wolf shift. No doubt there was more to the girl and her family that what he knew; maybe he should track down her father. But with Caroline being such a wild card it was likely her father would be just as difficult.

Once he was sure Tyler had Caroline out of the picture he went back inside, staying near the door in case whatever plan being played out happened inside. He wasn't too surprised when he saw Mikael alive; since he had daggered his own siblings he should have known the compulsion would still be true if Mikael was daggered instead of staked. What pleasantly surprised him was Stefan keeping his own brother from killing him, giving him enough time to grab the stake and kill Mikael. Another surprise had been Katerina pretending to be Elena for the Salvatore's so Elena would be safe. He might want to older doppelganger dead but she could wait. There was work to do here; so he released Stefan and let the party play out. He stayed in one of the free rooms, listening in on the sounds of everyone below, and wondering what Tyler had managed to do to get the blonde out of the way.

After the party he could hear Tyler pacing around in another room and guess he had incapacitated her. He had a lot to feel good about with his father finally dead after 1000 years of running and he would no doubt overhear the infuriating blonde a couple rooms down when she woke up. Tyler had told him he had followed one of her commands just like with the sire bond, but it had surprised them both; since neither of them knew why she had been able to. It was just surprise after surprise with Caroline and he briefly wondered if she had dug through her family history to find out all the answers; since Tyler had said she was always on top of everything that came her way.

Hearing her gasp awake in the other room and the bed squeak from Tyler sitting next to her and keeping her from shouting, he walked silently over to the wall to hear better. He heard Tyler tell her he was trying to protect her and she was arguing with him about not needing him to. He overheard them bringing up the sire bond and Tyler defending him and himself before Caroline started fussing with him again. He knew the boy felt hopeless in the other room when he ran out of comebacks against his girlfriend, and heard him say 'I get it' before hearing him walk away and out the door. He heard Caroline blow out a breath and could imagine the frustration on her face before standing and leaving the room herself. He was tempted to pull her into the room he was occupying for a little chat but thought it would be better not to since they could be heard.

He had been happy to know she wasn't in on Damon's plan for Mikael to kill him until he heard Tyler accuse her that she would be if her friends had told her about it. But her loyalty to her friends was the same loyalty he wanted for himself. When Tyler had told her he knew she would have stepped in to defend her friends she hadn't answered, which let Tyler and himself know the boy had been right that time. A wild card devoted to getting rid of him wouldn't do; he would have to step in soon and convince her otherwise. The first step would be to get in between her and Tyler; with Tyler being the weaker link of the two. He could pretend to be the boy's friend and get him to trust him; not only would it tear the couple apart but he was sure it would bring her around more since she would try to save Tyler from him.

He had lost a few hybrids that night, a couple alphas included, but he still had a couple to try and tempt the girl with. He doubted they would be very effective in wooing her but he would be able to see if she could command them like she had Tyler. He didn't have to worry about her commands overruling his because he was older and THE alpha, and she couldn't issue him a command, but if she could control other hybrids and wolves he could place her high in his ranks; but only if he could get her loyalty and that was the problem. He had walked over to the window when he heard the front door open and saw the blonde stomping to her car as she pulled her phone out. She hadn't called anyone, but he could see her fingers moving as she sent out a text. When she was standing right next to her car she looked back down at the phone and let out a frustrated groan, with a little growl mixed in. When he was sure she and everyone else was gone he left the room he was in to search for the little pup; finding him in his dad's old office with a glass of what smelled like whiskey.

 _"Mind pouring me one too mate?"_ Klaus asked and watched as Tyler poured another glass and brought the bottle with him as he took a seat and motioned for Klaus to sit across from him.

 _"I don't know what to do anymore… I mean I'm with her, but at the same time I'm not."_ Tyler said frustrated and Klaus resisted the urge to laugh at the boy's whining.

 _"I told you this would happen. And it's just instinct pulling her away. Did you expect an alpha to listen to you?"_ He stated and asked as he looked over at the pup to see him groan and bury his head in his hands.

 _"No but she could have understood I was trying to protect her."_ Tyler finally answered when he lifted his head back and threw an arm out with his justification.

 _"Women can be difficult sometimes."_ Klaus offered since he didn't bother with actual feelings or affections with women; lust was easier.

 _"You have no idea how she is; how she's always been. She's just so stubborn and no one has ever got her to change her mind unless it was a better idea or something."_

 _"That's an alpha trait mate…"_ Klaus stated but Tyler shook his head and cut him off; if he didn't need Tyler he would be dead for that.

 _"No that's a Caroline trait… imagine growing up with her. We used to hate each other, but our mom's being best friends had us spending a lot of time together."_

 _"I bet she gave you a lot of trouble."_ Klaus guessed as he tried to imagine the couple younger arguing over everything; he bet the blonde won those fights.

 _"I was terrified of her sometimes… I mean I can be an ass and a lot of people would back down. But she would always outdo me… she can be very intimidating when she wants to be."_

 _"Oh I don't know mate… she can't be that intimidating…"_ Klaus offered but inside he smirked at finding out he had been right; she always won.

 _"You didn't grow up with her. I learned by the time we were 5 that she would always get revenge on me and it would be either embarrassing or it would make me stop and think before even looking at her the wrong way."_

 _"Well you can't overpower her because you're not an alpha, so that sounds normal."_ Klaus played it off as he tried to keep from laughing at the boy; always getting outdone by a girl had to be embarrassing for him.

 _"And now that she's a vampire she's even stronger… but it's like it didn't change anything for her; she's in complete control of herself."_ Tyler rambled and Klaus hid his smirk behind a sip of his drink.

 _"I wonder how that is… although she probably went to one of your vampire friends for help…"_ He offered as he set his glass back down; it didn't really matter who taught her control in the long run.

 _"Or her dad. He's the one that she would probably run to."_

 _"Why is that?"_ Klaus asked as he wondered how that would have gone; not every wolf would accept the fact their child had become a hybrid.

 _"Because he's the one that taught her how to stay in control of her emotions so she wouldn't make a kill. I don't exactly know how it was done because I only locked up with him a few times and I'd have to leave when I was me again; but they would be there for hours afterwards."_

 _"My sister mentioned torture…"_ Klaus inserted and saw Tyler flinch a little; it was obvious that Caroline's father had been an influence on both of them, but likely it was a bigger one for Caroline.

 _"I wouldn't put it past her dad to torture her; and I know she said he helped her. His idea of helping her involves tying her up and torturing her until she isn't affected by the problem anymore."_ Tyler stated angrily and Klaus felt his own anger come up. He didn't like the idea of one of his hybrids getting tortured, but the fact it was voluntary made it worse. It made him think of all the time Mikael had hurt him and he couldn't think of why she would let her father hurt her when he had always wished Mikael hadn't hurt him. It made him realize that, in a way, Caroline was outdoing him and that wouldn't do; he couldn't have the other hybrids rising up and going against him from thinking he was weaker than someone he had turned.

 _"And she lets him?"_

 _"He's her dad… doesn't that mean he's an alpha too? I mean he's older so she'd have to listen to him right?"_

 _"He would be an alpha but her being an alpha female and a hybrid might change that; there are other circumstances that could come into play."_ Klaus explained but didn't delve too deep; there were too many secrets to keep about wolves, but he wondered if Caroline was one of them.

 _"Like what?"_

 _"What do you know about her family line?"_

 _"Only what you've told me… her dad never let me know anything; and I doubt he even told her. She wouldn't tell me even if he did."_

 _"Well that's a shame… he must be hiding something very important to keep her in the dark and torture his own daughter."_ Klaus mused out loud and looked at Tyler's confused expression. He really couldn't stand the boy, but hearing that her father could give more information and possibly be a good candidate to be a hybrid made him debate whether or not he should confront the man. _"I wonder something… he may not be able to be compelled but I wonder if he's as strong-willed as he made his daughter to be."_

 _"He's a hard man and I think she was already strong-willed… he didn't start conditioning her until a year and a half ago."_

 _"Conditioning?"_ He asked slightly confused at what Tyler was referring to.

 _"Torturing but they call it conditioning."_

 _"Has he given you the same treatment?"_ Klaus asked, even though he wouldn't really care, but he knew he had to seem that way. He wouldn't entertain her father torturing Tyler and possibly killing the best leverage he had with the local supernaturals; specifically Caroline.

 _"No… he was more worried about making sure Caroline didn't trigger her wolf gene."_

 _"I bet he dislikes that she already has very much then."_ Klaus theorized out loud and saw Tyler shift uncomfortably in his seat; almost like he didn't want to answer. Klaus focused on using the sire bond to get Tyler to answer and saw the boy take another drink before giving in to the influence.

 _"She told me she thought he would kill her but he didn't."_

 _"Did she tell you so you could help her or was she just going to let him kill her?"_ Klaus asked seriously since he didn't want to chance Caroline being killed off by her own father; especially since he didn't know her full potential yet, but it was already more than the rest of his hybrids.

 _"She was just telling me because I told her my mom was still having problems accepting it."_

 _"So it was just idle conversation?"_

 _"Yea… that's all we can really have right now."_

 _"Because I'm just so evil that I'm forcing your will on everything?"_ He asked sarcastically and saw Tyler give a laugh as he rolled his eyes.

 _"I know I'm sired but I don't think you've made me do anything I wouldn't have done already."_

 _"Well that seems to be only your opinion… you're a part of my service; that makes us comrades of sorts."_ Klaus stated trying to keep the boy loyal while evading the usage of the sire bond he had used on him. He needed Tyler to trust him or at least want to for his plans to work. He didn't know what the Salvatore's would try next and Tyler would be a good tool to use on them. And of course, Tyler would be the only way to ensure Caroline didn't go against him when the fighting really began.

 _"It's nice to have someone to talk to that doesn't think I'm plotting against them all the time."_

 _"Trust me Tyler… there will be a day you'll have more friends that understand you. I'm having the rest of my hybrids come to town. I'm giving you the job of taking them in, teaching them to control their urges if they need it, and passing on my orders while I'm busy."_

 _"What orders?"_

 _"I'm currently in construction of my own house here in Mystic Falls… once its finished I'll build some smaller houses to serve as outposts for the hybrids that'll be staying with you; maybe buy a few houses in the area until then so you're not overrun."_

 _"What does that mean for my friends?"_ Tyler asked and Klaus could see the worry on his face so he decided to not be too graphic in his warning.

 _"It means they need to learn that they need to do as I say or things could get ugly. In time I'll reunite my family since this was our home 1000 years ago; it's time to be a family again since Mikael's dead."_

 _"Elijah and Rebekah right?"_

 _"I have a couple more siblings… but not to worry yourself. Just do as I say and I'll keep you high in the ranks. You may not be an alpha but you have your usefulness and you have connections."_

 _"You mean my friends?"_

 _"They won't hurt you Tyler… you're friends with Elena, Bonnie, and Matt; then there's Caroline. The Salvatore's won't kill you because Elena would turn against them; if not for your friendship with her then through other connections like Matt and Caroline. Not to mention I'm sure your girlfriend would kill either of them for laying a finger on you."_

 _"Damon she would… but not Stefan. He may not be her friend right now but they were friends when his emotions were on."_

 _"So I observed the night I turned the two of you… he helped her stopped her shifting; she trusted him. It's a little odd that she trusted vampires before she was one."_

 _"Well Matt grew up with us and got turned_ right _before I triggered my wolf gene while he and Caroline were dating, but Stefan protected her from his brother when he came to town. Damon wanted to kill her but Stefan stopped him and they've been friends ever since."_

 _"So Caroline was dating Matt, who was your best friend. Did you steal her from him?"_ He asked genuinely curious since he had seen Caroline dancing with Matt at the 60's dance and had thought it was strange for an un-triggered wolf and a vampire to be together.

 _"No it wasn't like that… I mean I kissed her but she shot me down; told me we were just friends. Then Matt got changed and broke up with her because he was afraid he'd hurt her. By then she knew she had the wolf gene and I remember she told him she was just as dangerous, but he just couldn't risk it. It was a couple months later we got together. It was kind of shocking."_

 _"How would it be shocking? I mean you clearly expressed your interest when she wasn't available…"_ Klaus asked not following the boy's explanation; surely they would have just jumped at the chance.

 _"Because I let my uncle's friends hurt her in between the time they broke up and we got together."_

 _"How so?"_ Klaus asked as he grew more confused on why Tyler and Caroline were even dating if he had already betrayed her beforehand.

 _"My uncle had come to town when my dad died and tried to keep me from becoming a wolf, but Damon killed him. And because Caroline wouldn't help go against Stefan, Matt, or Damon they thought she needed to learn pack loyalty. They tortured her while I was there, but I didn't do anything to get her out of it; Stefan came for her."_

 _"I'm beginning to wonder if she and the rippah didn't have something going on together."_ Klaus mused out loud with the new information; she had went against her own kind for vampires and that was more than a little odd.

 _"They didn't… trust me. He promised to protect her after Damon tried to kill her and he was keeping that promise. He probably only made it because she's Elena's best friend but he still made it. And I just stood there. When Stefan rescued her I was sure they would kill me but she stopped them; told them it was better I live with what I had done."_

 _"You weren't joking about her getting revenge."_ He stated with a chuckle and Tyler shook his head and letting out a laugh. _"So how did it go from revenge to a relationship?"_

 _"I showed up to apologize and she slammed a door in my face, but when Matt and I got taken to be used in your sacrifice she came with Damon to get us out. She had Damon get Matt out of there when I started to turn since she knew I wouldn't attack another wolf."_

 _"Oh but you still managed to bite Damon that night… since Stefan had to trade his servitude for his brother's life."_ Klaus inserted so he could show Tyler just how much he owed the little blonde hybrid; it sounded like she had repeatedly put her life on the line for them and Stefan was the only one to actually help her in return, even if it was for Elena.

 _"Yea… anyway we talked after that. Seeing as we both thought I was going to die we spent more time together. I started shifting with her dad and one night at a party it just happened. We were just getting to a good point before you turned us. Now it's like we're back at square one."_

 _"Would have happened anyway mate… remember? I don't suppose her father ever tried to warn you away from her?"_

 _"He did give me a lecture once about being responsible and then he told me he'd kill me if I got her pregnant."_

 _"He didn't mention anything about her heritage at all?"_ Klaus asked even though he doubted she had; the Forbes were very particular about letting people know anything about them.

 _"No… I guess it's because we're both in high school and he didn't expect it to get serious."_

 _"Probably not… maybe you should read the statistics on high school relationships. I had the pleasure of hearing my sister reading about those before I put her back in a box; they never last in this day and age."_

 _"I don't know… I don't really want to think about it… or talk about it anymore right now."_

 _"That's alright mate… I need to do a few errands. I'll start sending my hybrids this way so make room for them."_

 _"Alright."_ Tyler replied and Klaus walked out of the room and out into the night. He had leaned a considerable amount and knew some of it could be useful if use correctly. He knew Caroline's father was likely responsible for her being a wild card, but he felt the man knew more than he had ever told Tyler; and probably Caroline too. Going straight to her father would draw too much attention and using Tyler would only get him so much; probably not anything he needed to know. He thought about going to Caroline's house to see if she was saying anything valuable to her mother or on the phone to one of her friends, but thought she might notice her was there and he didn't want anyone to think she meant anything. But maybe if he kept a distance and stayed silent she wouldn't notice since she was a baby hybrid; so he got close enough to watch and listen to find she was in the shower. Deciding to wait around since he had nothing better to do he flashed up a tree to remain hidden.

 ** _Caroline POV…_**

Caroline was taking a shower when she heard the front door open and shut so she stepped out long enough to yell and make sure it was her mom before going back to finish up. She was still furious that Tyler had snapped her neck and rubbed the spot that had been hurting when she woke up. She was mad at her friends too since they had come up with a plan and didn't include her in it at all, but Tyler should have talked to her instead of just snapping her neck. She didn't know how much more she could stand of all the secrecy, but then felt guilt since she had her own secrets she was keeping from her friends; and more that she didn't know yet since her father hadn't told her everything. She hoped he could come back soon to help Tyler because she didn't know how much longer she could hold on to him when he wasn't entirely to blame.

Stepping out of the shower again she wrapped a towel around her body and pulled her hair up in another one before stepping into her room. She took her time lost in thought as she dried her hair and rubbed her lotion on; she may not need it anymore but didn't see any harm in keeping the habit. She heard a knock and looked to see her mom coming in, still in her uniform. She told her mom to give her a minute and gathered her pajamas to change in the bathroom before facing her mother again.

 _"How was the party?"_ Liz asked as she sat on Caroline's bed and Caroline huffed before leaning back against her desk.

 _"It was alright until Tyler snapped my neck…"_

 _"What did he do that for?"_ Liz interrupted her and Caroline groaned when she realized she'd have to explain everything that had happened that night.

 _"Because he thought our friends were planning something against the psycho hybrid and it turns out they were; he didn't want me involved."_

 _"So he was protecting you?"_

 _"It doesn't matter what he was trying to do… he shouldn't have snapped my neck. He should have talked to me."_ Caroline exclaimed with her arms out as she tried to explain her side; she needed someone to think she was justified in being pissed off.

 _"Did you know there was a plan?"_

 _"No I didn't and that makes it even worse. It's like I'm caught between Tyler and my friends and I can't talk to any of them. Someone is always planning something and Tyler can't be included because he's sired, and I'm not included because of how I feel for Tyler."_ Caroline ranted further before kicking her desk chair out and sitting in it backwards so she could still look at her mom.

 _"So what happened tonight?"_ Her mom asked and Caroline nodded as she took a breath, hoping to get it all out on the one breath.

 _"Turns out psycho had a father… or stepfather, I guess you should say, that wanted him dead; no surprise since he's an ass. Matt said Damon was about to kill Klaus but Stefan stopped him and then Klaus killed Mikael; psycho daddy."_

 _"I don't approve of how Tyler got you out of it but I am glad he protected you."_ Liz said after a minute of silence and Caroline groaned again as she bumped her head down on the back of the chair.

 _"Therein lies my problem… I love him but I can't just sit back and not help my friends."_ She argued and began playing with the edge of her shirt sleeve.

 _"I don't know what to tell you on this. Your father might be able to when he comes back."_

 _"When is he coming back?"_ Caroline asked as she came back to full alert; she really hoped it was soon for once.

 _"Well he missed a week of work for you so he's been making up for that. It'll be soon though… I talked to him today."_

 _"What'd he say?"_ Caroline asked as she tilted her head; her dad was always difficult to tell what was going on in his mind.

 _"He asked if you were still doing okay with everything and I told him you were. Then he asked if you had shifted at home yet, to which I said no."_

 _"I told you I can't risk someone seeing me in wolf form inside the house like that. I'd like to but I can wait until the full moon and turn with Dad."_ Caroline grumbled and pulled her legs up to cross in the chair with her.

 _"Alright… I think he just wants you to practice anyway. You've done so well with everything. I'm proud of you."_

 _"Thanks mom."_ Caroline replied and moved to sit next to her mom on the bed and cuddle up to her. _"Hey mom… did Dad tell you why he and I look different than Tyler does?"_

 _"No he didn't. Whatever reason it is he's keeping it to himself until you're ready to hear it."_

 _"I guess… it just sucks having to wait."_ Caroline fussed and Liz gave a small chuckle as she moved Caroline's hair over her shoulders.

 _"He would tell you if you needed to know it right away."_

 _"I'm worried about him… Klaus is back in town and Daddy has to come back for lock-up. What if Klaus tries to turn him?"_

 _"Your father won't turn… and if he was forced to turn he'd find a way to die; he won't be a vampire."_ Liz stated matter-of-factly and Caroline felt the tears come up; she didn't want to think about either of them dying. What was worse was she knew exactly what it felt like to be in transition and she didn't want her father to go through that.

 _"I don't want him to die. What about you? Would you turn into a vampire?"_

 _"No sweetie… I'm human, and I want to live and die that way."_

 _"I don't want you to die either…"_ Caroline started but Liz held up her hand to silence her.

 _"It's a part of life…"_

 _"But it doesn't have to be… I could turn you and then I'd help you…"_ Caroline argued against her mother's wishes; even if she knew she'd never force it on her.

 _"Sweetie one day you'll have to let me go; you'll have to let us both go."_

 _"I hate this…"_ Caroline stated as she fell back on her bed and crossed her arms over her stomach. She hated that she'd have to lose her family and friends while she remained alive; well dead alive.

 _"You'll have to move around a lot… people will notice in a few years that you aren't aging anymore."_

 _"Will you go with me or will you stay here?"_ Caroline asked worriedly as she realized she hadn't thought about that yet; it meant she'd lose everyone faster.

 _"I'll be here but I'll visit you. Now… you've got a birthday coming up…"_

 _"Mom please don't start… it doesn't even count anymore. I'm stuck at 17; a freaking filler year."_ She growled frustrated in return, but heard her mom laugh.

 _"We're still celebrating it whether you agree or not; it can be just us if you wish but I am going to celebrate my daughter's 18_ _th_ _birthday."_

 _"I'm dead…"_

 _"But you're still here so drop it… you're still my baby. Now… I'm going to bed. I have to leave when I get you up in the morning so get some sleep. Goodnight."_

 _"Goodnight Mom; I love you."_

 _"I love you too sweetie."_ Liz replied as she left the room and Caroline stood from her bed to go sit in front of the mirror again to look at her reflection; a reflection that wouldn't change again. Then she stood and looked at all the pictures in her room feeling like nothing would ever be normal again; how much normal could you have when you were a 17 year old hybrid? She couldn't stand to look at them anymore so she flipped off her light and went to bed; waking up a few times throughout the night.

 ** _Klaus POV…_**

He had listened to the entire conversation between Caroline and her mother, often finding himself having to keep from letting his presence be known; he didn't like Caroline constantly calling him a psycho. Furthermore, he didn't like the idea of Caroline's father coming to town soon; even if he did want information on her family. However, he couldn't help but notice the look on her face when she talked about her birthday and how she wasn't going to age anymore; looking as if the idea of remaining young forever was nothing but misery. He wouldn't deny there were some downsides to being immortal, but he had soon worked past them whenever they would surface. He could tell she hadn't thought of all the endless possibilities that were now laid out for her; even if he could get her into his service.

He watched as she moved away from her mirror looking disappointed before laying in the bed to chase sleep, and thought he should go, but he wanted to watch her a little while longer; that and he didn't want to go around Tyler more than he had to. He kept wondering what Caroline had meant when she talked about how she looked as a wolf; she shouldn't look any different than Tyler unless she was from a VERY old bloodline. But that couldn't be possible because he knew where those particular living families were; at least the general area. Caroline would likely not tell him or ask him anything about it, so he might have to spy on her or try to get it out of her in conversation later; if they did speak anytime soon, which wasn't likely until he could get past her loyalty to her friends.

Caroline's loyalty would be very difficult to gain, but not impossible. Her strongest bonds were to the doppelganger, the Bennett witch, the quarterback, and Stefan; aside from Tyler, but Klaus knew he couldn't count him because she would side with her friends against him. And now she couldn't really run to the rippah because of his emotionless state, so he needed to find a way to break her trust of her childhood friends. He didn't know which way to go about doing that since she had already shown she was willing to die than side with him, so maybe he should find a way to appeal to her; at least more than her friends are.

He was pulled from his musings when he heard her shift in her bed and mumble something he couldn't make out so he moved closer. He was right outside her window, yet still unseen, when he saw her head turn back and forth and another unidentifiable sound escaped. He decided to peek inside her head and saw she was strapped to a chair as some man tortured her. Klaus briefly wondered if the man was her father before he tried to change her dream to something else; not just to make the nightmare stop, but also to see if he could get some kind of information from her. What shocked him was the realization that he couldn't change her dream; he couldn't take hold of her mind. Thinking about it he shouldn't have been surprised since she couldn't be compelled, but he hadn't thought it would extend to her dreams; it seemed her mind was TRULY her own, even when it was against her.

He watched her wake up from that particular dream and rub her hands over her face before settling back down in the bed. It took her longer to fall back asleep than it had the first time, so he didn't move or make a sound to keep her from noticing him. When she was finally asleep again he paid attention to her mind again as another dream began; not really knowing why since he had planned to leave once she had fallen back asleep. He could see her walking through town, but there wasn't another soul around and she began getting scared as she walked through the different empty stores and houses. Seeming to remember she was a vampire she flashed to her house, but it was as empty as the rest of the town and she began screaming for her mom. She began thrashing in her bed as her fear grew in her dream and Klaus began feeling tempted to make a sound loud enough to pull her awake, but he didn't want to risk giving away his presence so he remained still.

Caroline kept checking houses, starting with her friends' dwellings, but again there wasn't another person to be found. He began to wonder what hidden fear her subconscious mind was bringing to the surface because the dream wasn't making much sense. She ran to the falls and seeing no one she ran further until she reached the graveyard. Klaus noticed what had stopped her in her tracks and realized what fear her mind was making her face; she hadn't found anyone in town because they were all in the graveyard. She walked around all the fresh graves crying harder each time she passed a friend, and sobbing when she reached her parents' graves; her tears coming out in her sleep as she shifted from one side of the bed to the other. Klaus noticed they all had the same date for death but he didn't pay much attention to it as he saw people come into focus.

He saw Caroline notice them and go to run to them, but she passed right through them. When she fell down to her hands and knees he couldn't help but remember how she had looked the same in the gym the night he had turned her. Then each person wordlessly disappeared and she began begging them to stay and not leave her alone. That's when Klaus realized her fear wasn't just that everyone died; it was of being alone. That was something he could relate to her on since he ended up alone many times after daggering his siblings; much like he was right now, except for his hybrids. When she woke up that time she shot out of bed and left her room, so Klaus took the opportunity to move further away from her house again so he wouldn't get caught snooping.

When she came back into her room she looked calmer, but she was still shaking a little and he noticed she had brought a bottle of alcohol back with her; no doubt she had went to check on her mom. He wasn't surprised that she didn't lay back down immediately as she took a few swallows from the bottle and covered her mirror up. He could hear her scolding herself, telling herself to "get a grip", "everyone's okay", "it was just a dream", and "you're not alone". He wondered if she let anyone know she had nightmares or fears like she did, or if she just kept them hidden from everyone with that bubbly personality and "I'm fine" attitude; although it did explain part of her loyalty. Once she placed herself back in bed and fell asleep he left since he didn't want to watch her the whole night; he really did have other things he wanted and needed to do.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Caroline woke up with a groan when she heard her mom trying to wake her up saying happy birthday. She absolutely dreaded the day ahead of her, but she put on a smile and sat up to see her mom sit down next to her on the bed. She handed Caroline a present and Caroline opened it for her mother's sake to see a new outfit. She didn't have to fake the smile that came knowing her mom knew she was obsessed with clothes and had gotten her some to improve her mood. It had been a rough couple weeks since she had confronted her friends about keeping her in the dark and had avoided Tyler as much as possible; especially since she learned he was using his house to keep hybrids and Klaus would frequent there constantly to check on their progress.

Once her mother had left she changed into her new outfit, grabbed her bags and left for school. During the drive she reflected on the past couple of weeks. Her friends finally gave in and decided she would be a part of the next plan when they came up with one; the positive side being she had kicked Damon's ass again when he had tried to talk her out of it. The only thing they had going was right now Stefan had the coffins with Klaus' family in them and was keeping them hidden. She and Matt had been spending a lot of time together trying to come up with a way to get Tyler away from Klaus, but were coming up empty and usually spent their time just wandering through the forest in silence. She had seen Klaus a couple times and he would smile at her but she would roll her eyes and walk away; always hoping he would just forget she existed.

One of the hardest problems with when she would get to see Tyler is that he felt she and Matt were getting closer again; to which she always had to assure him she felt nothing but friendship for Matt now. She knew he was jealous of the time she had been spending with him but she thought he would at least recognize that Matt was still his best friend and the time she spent with him was always about Tyler. They both missed him and wanted him back; Elena and Bonnie didn't know Tyler the way they did so they had no one else to talk to about him. Their meetings were nothing romantic nor would she call them dates; just two friends missing the same person and looking for someone to talk to.

When she pulled into the school the first person to come up to her was Tyler. She smiled knowing that school was a safe zone for them, but they were still having problems. He told her happy birthday and gave her a charm bracelet before heading towards the parking lot. When she saw he wasn't staying she asked where he was going and he replied that Klaus needed his help with the hybrids. She became frustrated, not meaning to start a fight, but couldn't help it. They made sure no one would hear them as they argued over him being a sired slave and her pushing him away for her friends. She ended up telling him that he was acting how he used to again; back before they were even friends and he was a jerk to everybody. Then she just felt like giving up so she walked away before giving in to the urge to do just that.

Walking into the school she wasn't bothered by anybody; they must have seen she was aggravated when they started to approach her because they would turn and walk away. She was glad they did because she didn't know how many people she would have tolerated in the mood she was in; adding in she hadn't been sleeping very well lately and she was already aggravated from lack of sleep. When she rounded the corner and saw her locker she wanted to turn around and go home but forced herself to go and switch things she needed out before slamming it shut and storming off towards her classroom; leaving Elena, Bonnie, and Matt standing off to the side shocked. She knew they were just trying to cheer her up, but it was just too much to deal with right now.

All through the day she stayed in a bad mood, but kept in control of her urges; constantly taking restroom breaks to collect herself. When she got home she went through everything she needed to do in what seemed like record time. So she was stuck sitting in the house with nothing to do; bored out of her mind. She thought about calling her friends but after how she had been during school she thought she better not. So she started cleaning since she didn't really want to go out anywhere and risk running into any unwanted company.

At dusk she heard a knock and saw it was Elena so she opened the door. Elena told her that everyone had a surprise for her so she wrote a note for her mom and left with her. She didn't really feel like them trying to get her to celebrate her birthday, but she didn't have anything else to do and didn't want to be alone. She got into Elena's car with her and sat quietly for once as Elena drove them to the cemetery. She was a little suspicious since it was usually just the stoners that would hang out in the cemetery, but followed her as they got out of the car and Elena led her to a mausoleum. When they walked in she saw Bonnie and Matt with a cake; the candles still unlit were waiting for her arrival.

Elena quickly explained that instead of a birthday party they would have a funeral to mourn the girl she used to be before becoming a hybrid. She felt her emotions build up but gave up a smile since it felt right to do this. They each took a turn saying goodbye to how she used to be; mostly her annoying traits she had worked hard to rid herself of. When they were done she blew out the candles Elena had lit while Caroline had finished up their speeches with her own. She wasn't worried about the cake as she went to each of her friends and gave them a hug.

A few minutes later the door opened and they saw Tyler standing there looking apologetic for their earlier argument and she went to him. She didn't want to complicate the situation so she went outside with him and he started apologizing for their fight, but she cut him off by placing a kiss on his lips and wrapping her arms around him. She didn't linger long, not wanting to get carried away with her friends close by; one of them being a vampire that could hear everything they said or did.

 _"Why do you keep pulling away from me?"_ Tyler asked and she sighed as she tried to form her thoughts carefully.

 _"I'm not pulling away from you… I'm trying to sort everything out so I can help you. I miss you…"_ She answered truthfully, but kept herself from saying "it's because you're a sired minion and it's pulling us apart".

 _"I miss you too so why is it every time I see you, you always have an excuse to leave?"_

 _"I've had a long day Tyler…"_ Caroline replied and it had been a long, stressful day, but she was trying to keep them from fighting over him being sired again; she didn't want to rehash the same argument over and over.

 _"Every day is a long day…"_

 _"It sure feels that way right now, but it won't last forever."_ She reasoned even though she was having trouble keeping herself believing it at this point. She knew he was just as aggravated with her about the whole ordeal, but there wasn't anything they could do about it right now; they had to be patient and careful.

 _"How long will it last?"_

 _"I don't know… all I know is that we have to break the sire bond so Klaus can't control you…"_ Caroline stated but Tyler cut her off angrily and she knew she had to keep him calm.

 _"He's not controlling me… God Care I thought you would understand that."_ Tyler ranted but she knew it wasn't the truth; what was worse was that Tyler believed it was true.

 _"Then why are you doing every little thing he tells you to do?"_ She asked seriously to get him thinking about it all. She was fed up with Tyler justifying Klaus and playing off the sire bond as if it wasn't anything to be concerned about.

 _"Maybe because he's the only one that isn't treating me like shit because I'm a hybrid now. I mean… you get changed and nobody is different with you, but with me they just keep their distance."_ Tyler answered as he thrust his arms out and moved away from her to pace around. She knew he had a little bit of a point, but there was a difference in their situation; he was sired and she was not.

 _"Because they don't know how to act or what to say around you that you won't run back and tell Klaus."_ She said to try and get him to see how difficult it really was for them and how he shouldn't trust Klaus.

 _"It's not like I replay every conversation I have during the day for the guy Care…"_

 _"And now you have a house full of hybrids…"_ Caroline added when she heard him excusing himself; she really didn't want to drag this out, but she might as well put all the cards out there so he would remember who the enemy was.

 _"It's just until he gets his house finished and some housing set up for them…"_

 _"It doesn't matter Tyler! He says jump and you jump… you wouldn't even know you were following a command unless he let you know."_ Caroline argued what she had learned from her dad, but Tyler shaking his head let her know he wasn't going to be reasoned with tonight.

 _"Is that what you've come up with? Or was it Damon? Maybe it was Matt?"_

 _"It's what I know Tyler… and you really need to think about who your real friends are because I can tell you Matt has missed you EVERY DAY. We've been trying to find ways to get you back…"_ She answered and explained, but seeing Tyler jerk his head to look at her again with mentioning Matt and his friendship she wished she would have just walked away.

 _"Oh Matt? Are you sure that's why you spend so much time with him? After all he broke up with you because he couldn't handle being near you without wanting to drain you dry and now you're a vampire too."_

 _"There's nothing going on with me and Matt… you should know that. I would never do that to you or anybody else. Do you know how much it hurts to have to stand here and hear you accuse me of that; especially since it's been almost every time I've seen you for weeks?"_ Caroline argued as she fought against the tears forming in her eyes; he of ALL people should know she wasn't a cheater. Hell… he had kissed her when she was Matt and she had stopped him; reminded him they were nothing more than friends then and she had a boyfriend that happened to be his best friend.

 _"I don't know Caroline… why don't you let me hear it?"_

 _"A lot Tyler. I thought you knew me better than that."_ She stated and they heard a whoosh, turning to see Matt standing there looking at Tyler like he hadn't ever known him.

 _"Ty… you know she's telling you the truth. I'm your best friend… think about it. When Caroline and I were dating you kissed her and she set you straight. Don't you think she wouldn't do the same if the situation was reversed?"_

 _"You want to get back at me Matt? Is that why you keep hanging around her?"_ He asked as he pushed Matt, causing him to land against a tree, but before he fell Tyler braced him up against the tree. _"What are you up to?!"_

 _"Tyler stop it! Look at what you're doing! It's Matt… you're best friend!"_ Caroline shouted but Tyler wasn't listening. When she saw him push Matt again she grabbed his arm to pull Tyler off of him, but he turned and pushed her down. Matt stepped in to defend her if she needed it, tugging at Tyler's arm to get his attention back on him. Tyler spun around started fighting with him, throwing punches before losing his temper and biting him; stopping in shock as Matt looked at his shoulder at the bleeding wound and looked back at him. Caroline started freaking out, repeating 'oh my god' as Matt slowly sank to the ground.

 _"You want to know what I was doing hanging out with Caroline? It's because she needed a friend that understood how much she loves you. And I wanted any chance I could get to try and get you back with us."_ Matt spoke as he stared up at his best friend and Caroline nearly shifted as she punched Tyler again.

 _"Care stop! I didn't mean to bite him… I swear…"_

 _"Just leave Tyler… you've done enough."_ She said to him before turning her back on him and trying to help Matt up. She couldn't believe he had bit Matt; his best friend. She heard the whoosh signaling his departure and bent down to help Matt up. _"Klaus' blood is the cure."_

 _"Care no… I'm not gonna beg that man for anything."_

 _"What can I do?"_ Caroline asked in a whisper in response; she didn't want to see Matt die, but if he didn't want to owe Klaus anything for saving him she couldn't blame him. Besides the fact it was Klaus they'd have to get the cure from, it had been Tyler to bite him and since he was a little sired minion now he may make an excuse to keep them from getting the cure.

 _"When Tyler bit Damon he started hallucinating… you're the only one besides Damon that can keep me from hurting someone."_

 _"What do you want me to do?"_ She asked since she knew Damon would just outright kill Matt and she wasn't about to let that happen if Matt didn't want it; he deserved to make his own choice.

 _"Send the girls home… I don't want them to see me like this."_

 _"I can't watch you die…"_ She whispered as a couple tears slipped down her cheeks. She kept thinking that maybe she could deal with Klaus and he MIGHT give the cure for something small that she could get away with.

 _"I'd trust you before I'd trust Damon… please don't let me do something you know I'd hate myself for."_ He begged and she looked at him as they were both crying and she nodded before telling him to stay put and whooshing inside to tell the girls what happened. She couldn't keep them from going to see him when they begged her so she flashed ahead of them and covered Matt's wound with her jacket before they could catch up. She told them to go home and she'd keep them updated before she bent over and picked Matt up to flash him to her house; ever so thankful to be a hybrid in that moment because there was no way any of them would have carried him had she not been.

When she got home she called her mom so she could come home and invite Matt in. When her mom had shown up she looked between the two before stepping inside and inviting him inside. Caroline led him inside and put him in the guestroom and telling her mother to get her some rags, water, and blood bags. She used the time her mother was retrieving the items to rip Matt's shirt on the shoulder so she could access the wound better. It was already looking bad because of how deep Tyler had bit down so she told her mom that it was likely to get really bad and to stay out of the room unless she called for her. She wondered how long Matt would make it since Damon made it over 24 hours before he nearly died; but Damon was a century and half where Matt had only been a vampire for a few months.

 ** _Previously at the Mikaelson mansion (Klaus POV)…_**

Klaus had been speaking to Stefan trying to get his coffins with his family members in them, but Stefan had ripped out one of his hybrids hearts and told him to send away every hybrid but Tyler and Caroline. He was livid and wanted nothing more than to kill him but he knew if he did he wouldn't get his family back. He would have to find a way to strike at Stefan, but what could he use against him beside the doppelganger? He thought over the potential candidates for his revenge; there was the Bennett witch, Damon, Matt, Tyler, and Caroline. He didn't want to hurt one of his hybrids so he crossed them off his imaginary list, leaving Bonnie, Damon, and Matt. Going after Damon would be too obvious and would only hurt Stefan and Elena. That left Bonnie or Matt since their pain would turn Elena more against Stefan since he wouldn't cooperate and got someone she cared about hurt or killed; he wasn't for sure which he would do yet but he was leaning towards killing. About that time Tyler walked in and asked what had happened since he hadn't removed the hybrid's body yet and he told him Stefan had happened.

 _"Why did he kill her?"_

 _"He wants every hybrid besides you and Caroline out of Mystic Falls."_ Klaus answered as he poured himself a drink and was about to go in another room, but Tyler kept talking and he stopped.

 _"Why are we not included in his plan?"_

 _"My guess is because you already lived here and your connections to Elena. But there are always ways to rectify these situations. Take care of the body and then I need you to do a little errand for me…"_ Klaus answered and informed, but Tyler interrupted him; the boy was luckier than he knew to be alive with as much as he whined and interrupted him.

 _"Can't you get someone else to do it? My life is a mess right now too… I've lost my friends and I'm losing my girlfriend more and more every day."_

 _"About your friends and your girlfriend… I think we need to send a little message. I need you to bite the quarterback…"_ Klaus ordered and put the influence in the sire bond to make sure he would follow it.

 _"I'm not biting Matt…"_

 _"But didn't you say he was trying to take Caroline away from you? He's the perfect target for both of us…"_ Klaus countered and saw the boy struggle with himself to find a way out of fulfilling his task.

 _"I'm not hurting Matt; he's been my best friend my whole life."_

 _"Whatever you say… I'll find another way to get back at Stefan. So don't follow the instructions I gave you. But I do still want you to get rid of the body and then find out what is taking so long for the construction to get back on track."_ Klaus ordered with influence again and walked away to leave a huffing Tyler to clean up the mess Stefan had made to go about his business and think of another way to get back at Stefan.

A little while later he got a call and saw it was Stefan calling so he decided to see if he had somehow changed his mind, but it turned out that he had Elena in the car with vampire blood in her system and was threatening to kill her. He was still fuming from earlier since he had found out that Stefan had killed a few more hybrids after he had left. He could hear the doppelganger screaming in the background and begging Stefan to stop the car, so he agreed to send the hybrids away; one town away wouldn't hinder him any and he could call them back quickly if he needed them. So he called up one of the hybrids and ordered him to get the others and move one town away before pouring himself a drink.

 ** _Caroline's house (Caroline POV)_**

Caroline had just cleaned Matt back up from his last hallucination; he had only had three but each time she had to restrain him until it passed. She had been fighting tears the whole time so Matt wouldn't know how bad it was getting and she didn't want for the last thing he saw to be her crying over his death. All it would do would make them both feel worse so she held them at bay, and watched as he did the same; likely so she wouldn't know how much pain he was in. She heard a knock and made sure he was okay on his own before she headed towards the door thinking it was Elena or Bonnie to see him again but when she pulled it open she saw Klaus.

 _"What are you doing here?"_ Caroline practically hissed at him and saw him twitch a little, but he remained standing and looking the same before he began to speak.

 _"Tyler came to see me… said he had a terrible accident…."_ Klaus spoke and she wanted to hit him with how he sounded about it all; smug bastard.

 _"Accident?"_ She asked sarcastically before fixing a glare and stepping out of the house to stand right in front of him. _"You made him do this to him… he would never hurt Matt."_

 _"I'm here to help Caroline… please ask your mother to invite me inside."_ He stressed and she scoffed. He couldn't really believe she would do something as reckless as giving him an invite to her house; or that she would ever be convinced he was only there to help. _"I revoked the order to hurt Matt right after I gave it. Tyler bit Matt on his own…"_

 _"Like I'm going to believe you. You don't have to come inside my house to save him either; I can get a cup."_ She stated and stepped inside, slightly surprised he let her and went to the kitchen. She saw her mom sitting at the table staring at the wall as she went to get a plastic cup. Noticing Caroline's presence, Liz asked her what was going on and she told her Klaus was at the door wanting in so her mom followed her to hear what they were saying. _"You can put your blood in the cup and I'll give it to him."_

 _"I would prefer to give it to him myself… and there are matters I need to discuss with you and your mother."_ He stated and Caroline rolled her eyes as she shook her head at the nerve he had to want to talk after having Tyler bite Matt. She was about to reply but she heard her mother begin talking and bit her lip to keep from saying anything yet.

 _"I know how this game works… you want something in return for saving him, and you want something from my daughter or you would just pour your blood in the cup."_ Liz spoke up from her place beside the guestroom door.

 _"You're the sheriff… I only want your support; there's still the council to think of and I don't want them beating down my doors every day."_ Klaus answered and looked between the two women wondering what else he would have to say to get in the house, but Liz looked into the room at Matt before looking back at him.

 _"Do I have your word you won't kill my daughter?"_ Liz asked and Caroline looked at her mom; she couldn't seriously be thinking of letting him in.

 _"Yes."_

 _"Come in."_ Liz said and Caroline looked to see Klaus smirk.

 _"Mom!"_ Caroline objected and turned to look at her mother before looking back to see Klaus step over the threshold and gesture for her to lead the way. Grumbling she tossed the cup at him before turning and walking back to the room Matt was occupying. Seeing him staring off into space she told her mom to stay away from the room quickly and went to sit beside him. She tried calling his name a couple times and snapping her fingers in front of him but he just kept staring ahead of him. She pulled the washcloth back, knowing he was still alive, but needing to know how much worse he had gotten during the last few minutes. She saw the blood leaking out around the wound and covered it back up, looking back at Klaus expectantly to see him leaning against the wall watching her. _"Well?"_

 _"That looks bad… you can give him my apologies. It was nothing personal; just collateral damage and I revoked the order."_

 _"Just heal him unless you lied about doing that."_ She said and stood to face him again.

 _"I didn't lie."_ He stated and bit into his wrist, letting the blood fall into the cup before handing it to her and she set it down so she could maneuver Matt around. She wished he would leave already as she felt his eyes on her, but knew her luck wasn't that good. She finally got him to focus in on her enough to let him know she was going to give him Klaus' blood before tilting his head back and pouring the blood into his mouth. She scrunched up her face when his hand came up to clutch at the cup; it was slightly disturbing to watch him drink Klaus' blood and like it as much as he showed. She remembered the taste vividly and watched disgusted as he finished it before she tossed the cup into the small waste basket next to the bed. Seeing him fall asleep she removed the rag to inspect the wound again; seeing it closing up she folded the rag again so she could wipe the areas that had healed. When he was cleaned up, she put the blanket over him and turned, gesturing for Klaus to exit the room as she exited herself and shut the door. Klaus didn't waste any time walking into her kitchen where her mother was and taking a seat at the table. _"Now… where should we start?"_

 _"Just say whatever you're going to say so you can leave."_ Caroline bit out as she tried to keep her anger in control; not wanting to shift at that moment.

 _"Now love I just saved your little friend's life… I'd be a little nicer to me if I were you; I didn't have to help him."_

 _"You told Tyler to bite him…"_ She said as she refrained from erupting into a full-bitch moment; she didn't want him to end up snapping and killing everyone in the house.

 _"And then I told him that I'd strike at Stefan another way and revoked the order… this is on your little boyfriend."_

 _"Seriously?! You expect me to believe that?"_ She asked incredulously as she glared at him again with her hands on her hips.

 _"I don't care whether you believe me or not."_ He stated simply and turned to look at her mother. Caroline wanted nothing more than to have a white oak stake so she could ram it into his chest at that moment. _"Now Sheriff Forbes… you agreed to give your support and keep the council off my back. Can I expect your cooperation with anything else?"_

 _"What else would you need my cooperation for?"_

 _"Well your daughter has a nasty little habit of not listening to me, and when she does she listen she always has a little comeback that tends to be aggravating to say the least. Is there anything you can do to convince her that it would be smart to not test my patience?"_

 _"I'm standing right here!"_ Caroline said as she flung her arms out to prove her point and saw Klaus look pointedly at her mother before her mother looked at her. _"Don't let him fool you mom… he's the same guy that forced blood down my throat and then snapped my neck."_ She told her hoping her mother wouldn't side with him on this out of fear for her safety because she wouldn't listen on this.

 _"What are you asking of her?"_

 _"The only thing I've asked of her, besides making her a hybrid, was that she watch over Elena to make sure she didn't die or become a vampire; her blood is useless in either case. However… now that Stefan has taken it upon himself to nearly kill her earlier I feel I need to tell her to do something else."_

 _"Why would Stefan…"_

 _"Stefan has my family and I want them back. He wanted all the hybrids except Tyler and Caroline out of town and now they are."_ He explained and Caroline froze in shock. Hearing that Stefan had tried to kill Elena, but managed to get the other hybrids gone had her feeling a mixture of emotions. She was glad the other hybrids were gone but she was furious at Stefan for going after Elena.

 _"So what do you want her to do?"_

 _"There will be a few hybrids I want her to meet when the time comes, but that'll be later. I still want her to watch over Elena, but I want her to start checking in like Tyler does. She's been elusive to say the least and I don't like one of my hybrids going behind my back with the ones that plot against me; I'm sure you'd hate to see me have to retaliate."_

 _"She's not been involved in the plans before. They don't want to use her or Tyler because of you…"_

 _"But I can't guarantee they won't… nor can I be certain she won't plot against me on her own terms. I'm sure you both know by now that she isn't sired like the rest are. Do you happen to know why that is? I have a few theories but I'd really like to know how she avoided that."_ He stated and Caroline kept from looking at either of them; she had her own theories as well, with most of them being from the inability to be compelled.

 _"I don't know… I'm not a werewolf…"_

 _"Would her father know? Tyler told me he's the wolf in the family… as well as little tidbits about lock-up and…"_

 _"Leave my father alone."_ Caroline spoke, finally coming out of shock and stepping behind the chair between them.

 _"Sweetheart I'm just trying to figure out all the facts… I already have one wild card; I don't need another one."_

 _"You said yourself that I was an alpha, and I already knew how to avoid compulsion so maybe it blocked your freaky sire bond."_ Caroline explained her thoughts while still keeping things from him.

 _"Perhaps but I'm not for certain so until I figure it out you'll be seeing more of me."_

 _"I think I've already seen enough of you…"_

 _"It's not an option."_ He stated and she rolled her eyes before looking at her mom to see her mother watching the interaction; no doubt she would be calling Bill soon. _"Now Caroline… if you would be so kind as to follow me I wish to discuss hybrid business and I think your mother would like stay out of it."_ He said and walked towards the door. She once again found herself wishing for a stake but ignored it as she looked to her mother. She knew her mom was no match for him as a human, Matt was still sleeping as he healed the rest of the way, and he would probably kill them all if she didn't so she nodded to her mom before following him. When they were outside he gave her a look before flashing towards the forest and she looked around before flashing in the same direction; having to track his scent since he was faster.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 ** _Klaus & Caroline POV at first, and then just Caroline POV…_**

 _"What do you want?"_ She asked when she found him, not even bothering to hide the irritation in her voice. He didn't say anything as he stepped closer and she forced herself to stand her ground and not flinch when he stopped right in front of her. _"Are you going to kill me?"_

 _"On your birthday? Do you really think that low of me?"_ Klaus asked as he watched her unwavering from her stance after his approach. He knew she was afraid of him, but she did a fairly good job at hiding it; if he was a weaker individual he would probably be the one intimidated.

 _"Yes."_ She answered as she stared him down and watched as he seemed to consider his thoughts before he looked down at her arm. She followed his eyes and saw him tap her bracelet. She moved her hand away and raised her eyebrows to let him know she was waiting on him to speak.

 _"I love birthdays."_ He stated, although he didn't really know why he was telling her that; although he may be able to appeal to her more easily this way. He needed to get through that wall she had built around herself so she would bend more to his side than to her friends.

 _"Yea… aren't you like a billion or something?"_ She asked somewhat sarcastically as she wondered where he was going with all of this. Sure it was her birthday, but it really didn't count since she wasn't going to get older; plus it wasn't his business anyway.

 _"You have to adjust your perception of time when you're a vampire Caroline; accept the fact that you're no longer bound by human standards… you're free."_ Klaus replied and saw her shake her head. She would be a little tougher to break through to than he had thought; that wall was more like a fortress. It reminded him of himself and he thought of the similarities between himself and her.

 _"No… I'm stuck being a teenager while my friends and family grow older and die."_ She stated, even though she hadn't meant to reveal as much emotion about it as she did. She knew Klaus liked to find a person's weakness and use it against them for what he wanted out of them and she had no intention of giving that away; well more than what he already knew, which was her love and loyalty for her friends and family.

 _"Would you rather have died? There's a whole world out there waiting for you; great cities full of art and music… genuine beauty. And you can have it all… all you have to do is choose it."_ She listened to him say and couldn't help but hear the honesty in his voice, but kept herself from showing any reaction; she knew he was trying to tempt her. Klaus watched her take in what she said and knew he saw a glimmer of interest spark in her, but she pushed it down.

 _"You honestly think I would just pack up and leave all of my friends here to face you by themselves?"_ She asked disbelievingly when she figured it was just a tactic to distract her from his plans so he could better achieve them; he probably didn't want anyone to know that one of his own hybrids was dead-set against him.

 _"I'm not your enemy Caroline… and I wasn't suggesting that you leave town. I was merely pointing out that your life isn't over just because you're a vampire now."_ He countered and saw her face turn angrier than he had seen before; not being able to deny it was certainly a sight to behold. He could see her change her stance through her anger and wondered if she even knew how much power she showed; she was a fighter.

 _"How are you not my enemy? You turned Tyler and me against our wills, made Stefan turn off his emotions AFTER making him go with you to save his brother, Tyler is sired to you and has to do everything you say… and you told him to bite Matt…"_ Caroline ranted as her frustration grew and watched him take everything she said without moving; although she could see his eyes darken slightly and knew she was likely pressing her luck. There was no ignoring how dangerous it was to stand against him right now, but she had already had too much and felt determined to speak her mind; even if it got her killed.

 _"I revoked the order…"_ He interrupted her as he tried to keep from getting so angry he accidently killed her. He didn't need a recount of things he had done like a conscience; he had his reasons and he didn't feel the need to justify himself to anyone.

 _"So you say but it's not like I can guarantee that, can I?"_ Caroline countered sarcastically as she returned to glaring at him; she couldn't bring herself to believe Tyler would do that to Matt willingly.

 _"I could always have the little Lockwood pup compelled to answer truthfully if you choose not to believe me, but it doesn't really matter to me sweetheart. Aside from turning you I've not done anything to you when I could have done a number of things. You might want to remember that before you start listing off the reasons you wish to defy me."_ He rattled off as he felt his patience slipping further away, but he could see her standing her ground. If only she was on his side, he thought as he saw her determination shine through and she moved closer.

 _"You think I don't know what you're capable of? Trust me, I know but I'm not afraid of you. And you have no idea what I'm capable of. I can be the most annoying pain in the ass you have ever met; ask anyone."_ Caroline purposely provoked, but he started chuckling at the end of her statement. She knew he wasn't afraid of her and she wondered if he thought she was inefficient in going against him; which only made her want to hit him more.

 _"That doesn't sound very intimidating sweetheart…"_ Klaus spoke his thoughts as he tried to picture her annoying him; it couldn't be worse than being around Tyler all the time. The pup had been tiptoeing a very delicate line that set Klaus' nerves off to no ends and it was literally because of his connections that he was still alive.

 _"No but it could get very aggravating after a while."_ Caroline said seriously as she twisted a little, but straightened when she saw him look at her again; she had forgotten she was only wearing her pajama clothes and they were somewhat tight and she didn't want him staring.

 _"We're getting off track… I want you to meet a few of the hybrids soon; alphas."_ Klaus said as he looked her over again; the other alphas would be drooling when they saw her. He wouldn't disagree that she was beautiful; he actually wouldn't mind seeing what she looked like underneath her clothes. He had already caught a glimpse of her in only a towel and had found himself disappointed when she hadn't put her clothes on in her bedroom. Come to think of it… if she didn't choose one of the alphas he had turned or any other alpha that crossed her path, he could be included in her choices; and he didn't really know what to think of that.

 _"Why?"_ She asked and he knew it was time to tell her the traditions of being an alpha female. Caroline couldn't think of the purpose behind her meeting other alphas unless he wanted her to learn about alphas in general.

 _"I'm guessing Tyler didn't tell you… nor did your father apparently."_ Klaus half-guessed since he knew Tyler hadn't told her, but he wasn't for sure if her father had told her the rules. He tried to picture what face she would make when she learned the truth, but came up with too many different reactions; there was no way to know for sure which emotion it would provoke from her.

 _"Tell me what?"_ Caroline asked confused as to what he could be talking about now. What would both Tyler and her Dad know that they hadn't told her? She saw him regarding her with a look she couldn't define and looked at him expectantly to further explain.

 _"There are certain customs wolves use… I guess you could call them rules."_ He stated as he pulled his hands behind his back and focused his eyes on her. He saw her look confused as he eyes looked off in thought before looking back at him; no doubt trying to figure out what he was leading up to.

 _"What rules?"_ She asked when her mind drew a blank; she hadn't thought Tyler knew anything she didn't about wolves, but apparently there was something he had been keeping from her. She couldn't be mad about that since there were a couple things she hadn't told him about her wolf self she had learned.

 _"You being an alpha female limits your dating pool as this generation calls it."_ Klaus summarized and watched her face twist further in confusion; letting him know he had been right to guess her father hadn't told her the customs of being an alpha female. He didn't really like one of his hybrids being uneducated about being a wolf; especially one that had been tortured by their own parent to keep it suppressed. Tyler and Caroline hadn't been taught properly and it wasn't their fault for the lack of wolf knowledge; it was their wolf families.

 _"What are you talking about?"_ She asked when she finally gave up trying to figure out what he meant. What did being an alpha female have to do with dating? She dreaded hearing his answer, but a part of her wondered if he was actually telling her the truth or if what he was about to say was just part of a bigger plot; one she couldn't quite figure out unless it was to separate her and Tyler.

 _"Alpha females are rare… have been since the beginning; so the 'rules' state that an alpha female can only be with an alpha male."_ Klaus informed her and saw her look at him disbelievingly; which he should have guessed she would. He wished he could peek inside her head at her thoughts right now, but he couldn't think for long about that before she began speaking.

 _"You've got to be kidding me…"_ Caroline thought out loud but trailed off in thought; he had to be joking or lying or something. She didn't want to believe what he said was true because it would mean she and Tyler would be going against wolf customs to be together; it had to be a lie to break them up and pull Tyler further under his control.

 _"I assure you I'm not. You being one of my hybrids makes me responsible for finding alphas for you so to speak…"_ Klaus continued as he watched her likely trying to find some hidden deception to his words, even if he knew they were true; she'd have to face facts that she and Tyler weren't going to stay together.

 _"No… you are not going to play matchmaker in my life…"_ Caroline interrupted when she realized he was trying to set her up with one of the alphas he had turned; he was crazy if he thought his little plan would work. She didn't even believe there WAS a rule for who she could be with, but if there was it didn't mean KLAUS had any say in who she could be with; she wouldn't let him dictate her life like his minions.

 _"I've turned a few alphas and I want you to meet them. I'll give you some time to sort through the difficulties you have with Tyler but you will meet them. If none of them are suitable then you'll be able to search for an alpha on your own…"_ Klaus told her and offered when he saw her anger return; he wasn't too thrilled with being the one to tell her about all of this, but here he was… trying fill in the gaps in her wolf knowledge.

 _"Are you listening to yourself right now? You're insane if you think you can set me up with somebody. Matter of fact… I'm still with Tyler…"_ She ranted as she held up her finger; inwardly laughing at herself for thinking it would work on him. She hadn't had time to sort through her thoughts on what to do with Tyler, but she didn't want Klaus thinking that he had been successful in creating a rift between them that couldn't be mended tonight.

 _"Tyler isn't an alpha and even if he was I doubt you'd two last much longer when he suspects you're sleeping with his best friend, that's not a wolf at all, and you resent that he's sired to me."_ Klaus pointed out, even though he hadn't wanted to give too much detail; yet still he brought up the sire bond. He saw her grit her teeth together as she took a big breath through her nose before she glared at him again; he didn't understand why she kept glaring when she had to know it wouldn't do very good on him. But he did see why Tyler would be intimidated by her when she would glare or argue; she was definitely stronger than anyone gave her credit for.

 _"Still none of your business…"_ Caroline spoke slowly so he would get that she wasn't up for agreeing with him or meeting his alpha minions.

 _"It is when Tyler wastes my time complaining about you avoiding him."_ Klaus slightly complained as he let his frustration with the boy's whining and incompetence come out. She must not understand how much the pup lacked besides his connections; that or she was underestimating herself and thought they deserved each other. Tyler had even mentioned how he stood by and let his friends hurt her, and yet she had spared him; even got together with him. She probably hadn't had much luck dating if she thought she didn't deserve better, he thought as he tried to find her reasoning.

 _"Clearly Tyler has been picking up on your paranoia because the Tyler I know would know me better than to accuse me of being unfaithful."_ Caroline threw at him since she was still angry that Tyler had told Klaus about their problems; it was SO not his business. It hurt that Tyler thought that about her, but it hurt to think Tyler had turned to the bad guy to talk to; even if no one could really talk to him because of said bad guy standing right in front of her.

 _"So you're denying the suspicions he has?"_ He asked even though he figured she was telling the truth about it; Tyler already telling him about when he tried to steal her away from Matt. He couldn't blame the pup for letting his hormones get the best of him around her; he wasn't blind, he could see how they did.

 _"Of course I am because I haven't cheated on him. Matt is one of my best friends; we may have dated before I was with Tyler but that doesn't mean we would again. Neither of us have THAT interest in each other. Does that explain enough to you?"_ She ranted since she doubted he would shut up about it anytime soon. She was just tired of having to prove she wasn't that kind of person over and over; even to Klaus when it really wasn't his business.

 _"You're still going to meet with the alphas…"_ Klaus insisted after a minute of thinking; she may not automatically give in to another alpha, but it wasn't cheating to meet them. He wondered if she would even realize he was a valid option; even if he wasn't interested in relationships, he wouldn't mind having her to himself for a little while.

 _"No I'm not."_ Caroline said determinedly as she placed her hands on her hips again with yet another glare. She couldn't believe he was keeping this up when she had already said she was still with Tyler and that she wasn't a cheater; the guy obviously couldn't get the message.

 _"I'll give you time to sort things out but one day you'll realize I'm right love."_ He gave in partly so they could wrap up this topic; they had other important matters to discuss. He hadn't forgot about her talk with her mother and her saying she looked different than Tyler. He only knew one way she could look different, but it shouldn't be possible; he had searched and kept watch over the centuries to those families and a few of the bloodlines had been wiped out.

 _"My father is an alpha and my mother is a normal human; clearly that wasn't supposed to happen but it did. So telling me that just because I'm an alpha female I have to be with an alpha is only going to make me prove I don't."_ She said stubbornly and tilted her head in challenge as he narrowed his eyes at her. She knew she was pushing his buttons, but she didn't care; he was pushing hers so she figured tit for tat.

 _"We'll see sweetheart…"_ Klaus said and went to change the subject, but she interrupted him; he was getting tired of people doing that.

 _"Stay out of my business."_ She warned with another glare and saw him huff before looking at her again. She could only imagine the ways he was probably envisioning her death at the moment, but kept herself from asking about it.

 _"The next thing I need to discuss with you is your wolf heritage. What do you know of it?"_ He inquired and saw her bring her finger up to tap her chin before she looked at him, and he knew this was going to be difficult as well.

 _"It's an alpha line."_ She stated sarcastically while she tapped her chin and then brought her hands down to her hips again; she didn't want to tell him anything she had learned.

 _"What else?"_ He asked and she kept quiet as she tried to think of something unimportant to say because she never could lie worth anything and she couldn't say nothing without giving away she was lying. _"Well?"_ He prompted when he saw her getting lost in her thoughts; likely trying to find a way to hide what she knew from him.

 _"Not much at all… I won't get my answers for a while."_ Caroline replied since it was the truth, but it was still pretty vague; she wouldn't know much of anything until her father died and she hoped that was a long time away.

 _"I take it your father hasn't told you everything?"_ Klaus asked when he saw her getting lost in her thoughts again. It was irritating how the man hadn't taught her the important facts about being a wolf; now it was worse because she probably didn't know anything important he could use.

 _"Correct."_ She answered in a clipped tone and hoped it would be the end of the discussion, but she saw him twitch his mouth as he looked away for a moment. When he looked back she saw him looking at her differently than he had been; it seemed he was debating on saying something, but she couldn't tell what.

 _"I was familiar with your family line a couple centuries ago… until then there hadn't been an alpha female yet. Are you the first one?"_ Klaus informed her and saw her cross her arms over her chest; maybe she'd know enough to let him see if his theory was right or not. But of course there was a lot more questions to go through before he could find that out; although he could still learn more about the Forbes line in particular if his theory was incorrect.

 _"Why?"_ She asked suspiciously.

 _"Just a question."_ He replied off-handedly, even though it was a critical detail that would explain a few things; things she likely hadn't even realized yet.

 _"Why do you want to know?"_ Caroline asked as she tried to find a way out of answering; she really didn't want to try and risk lying if she could help it.

 _"Because I want to know just how much of a wild card you are."_ Klaus blurted out in hopes to get her aggravated enough to slip and answer him. Seeing her face he knew he had succeeded in getting under skin a little by referring to her as a wild card.

 _"Fine… I'm the first. And before you ask… I was an accident; not planned."_ She blurted out as she pushed her anger down. She saw him look confused before giving a chuckle and uncrossed her arms to put back on her hips; he must want her to hit him, she thought.

 _"Your family tried for centuries to produce a female and you're saying you weren't planned?"_ He asked as if she was joking; she couldn't really believe she wasn't planned for all this time. With alpha females being rare, most alpha lines tried to produce a female first-born and her family had been unsuccessful at that the last time he had checked up on them; but that had been a long time ago.

 _"My parents got married when they found out my mom was pregnant."_ She explained hoping he would shut up and stop asking questions but he just raised an eyebrow. _"Surely sometime in the past billion years you've heard of unplanned pregnancies."_ Caroline threw out since she found it hard to believe he hadn't.

 _"Why aren't they together now? Your mother gave his family the first female and they don't stay together?"_ He asked after learning that little tidbit; her father hadn't been trying for a child at all and gave his family the first female. The whole thing was a bit ironic if you thought about it, so he wondered why her father had left them; Tyler hadn't mentioned why, only ever saying how difficult the man was.

 _"He's gay…"_ Caroline started to explain uncomfortably; she really didn't like talking about her dad. It wasn't that she was against his choices, but it had been a difficult time for her when he had left them.

 _"What?"_ Klaus asked thinking he had heard her wrong. Did he really just hear her say her father preferred men?

 _"He likes men…"_ She began to explain the concept of being gay, but he cut her off.

 _"I know what you said love… I'm just wrapping my head around that little piece of information; Tyler never mentioned that."_ He explained and saw her expression change; it was his fault Tyler ran his mouth off all the time and he didn't even have to ask most of the time.

 _"What has he mentioned about my dad? He shouldn't say anything about him…"_ Caroline asked quickly as she felt her anger come up again; she was going to beat Tyler to within an inch of his life when she saw him again. How dare he tell Klaus about her dad?

 _"I already said I wouldn't turn him."_ Klaus stated to avoid another tantrum of hers; he didn't need her father causing him any problems and he likely would if he was a hybrid.

 _"So why do you want to know about him? You gay? Because if you are I have to say he's got a boyfriend and you are SO not his type."_ Caroline rambled on and saw him look at her as if she was crazy for a few seconds before he took on a cocky appearance and she wished she had just kept her mouth shut. His eyes went back to looking her over as they darkened again and she wished again that she was in something more covering than her pajamas.

 _"Oh sweetheart I assure you I have no interest in men. I can prove it to you if you'd like a demonstration…"_ Klaus recovered and stated as he looked over her for about the hundredth time that night; he knew it was a long shot, but he really wouldn't mind giving her that demonstration. Seeing her face go from shock to twisting up as if she was repulsed he knew she wasn't going to say yes to his offer; and that irritated him even more that her stubbornness.

 _"EW GROSS! Please say you're done talking because I just want to get away from you."_ She stated as she felt disgusted; she had already said she wasn't a cheater. Even if she was free and single she wouldn't accept the invitation because of who he was and how he had hurt everyone she cared about. It wasn't that he looked bad, because in all actuality he was hot, but she wasn't going to let him know she thought that; he probably wouldn't ever leave her alone. Mentally scolding herself for even thinking about that right now she focused on what he was saying in return.

 _"Our discussion isn't over yet love. Tyler mentioned your father is rather fond of torturing you; literally."_ Klaus stated; effectively changing the subject so he wouldn't have to watch her reaction towards him. He didn't know if it was her loyalty, her morals, or if she really was repulsed by the thought of him, but it didn't sit well with him to know she would reject him; that didn't happen often.

 _"None of your business. And my father has only tried to help me."_ She stated, turning from disgusted by his offer to angry. She knew he was trying to bait her and it partly worked since he had said Tyler had told him that, but she reminded herself that Tyler was sired and Klaus had probably MADE him tell him.

 _"Tyler also mentioned you tried to get him to shift with you. Why?"_ Klaus asked when he saw her defend her father; he saw how much she looked up to her father, even though he had hurt her. Klaus could remember a time when he had constantly tried to gain favor with Mikael when he thought he was his father, and seeing her react like she had reminded him of himself. He quickly forced himself back to the question he had asked… he needed to know why she had tried to get Tyler to turn; what the goal could have been behind it.

 _"Because we're wolves and becoming hybrids shouldn't mean not embracing it."_ Caroline replied truthfully as she thought back on all the times she had shifted so far; it may be painful but it felt freeing too. The way she felt in her wolf form was worth the pain of getting there in her mind and she couldn't see why Tyler was so opposed to it.

 _"How many times have you shifted?"_ Klaus asked curiously as he tried to work them up to the more important questions.

 _"I don't know… I didn't keep count."_ Caroline answered after a minute of thinking; she honestly couldn't count the times she had shifted since it had been part of the exercises her father had made her do.

 _"How was your control? Did you kill anyone?"_ Klaus kept interrogating quickly to keep her from figuring out he was digging for something in particular; she was smarter than anyone gave her credit for and he didn't want her to figure out he knew something if she wasn't part of it.

 _"I was in complete control and I didn't kill anyone; didn't even have the urge to."_ She replied proudly since she didn't have any shame in letting him know she didn't lose herself to the animal inside of her.

 _"Who's seen you shift?"_ Klaus asked as he began to believe more and more that his assumptions were correct and that he had missed something over the centuries; or her family was better at keeping secrets than he had thought.

 _"Just my parents."_

 _"Shift."_ Klaus requested and saw her eyes widen a little. He knew the only way to be sure of his theory being correct was if he could see her fur color. If he was right it meant she was indeed more powerful than the other hybrids and it would be imperative he get her on his side; they wouldn't be able to go against each other.

 _"I'm not shifting for you."_ She said and crossed her arms across her chest.

 _"You wanted someone to shift with you… I want to see your control."_ Klaus gave as he covered up the real reason he wanted to see her wolf form.

 _"I wanted Tyler to shift with me and I'm not shifting because that means I lose my clothes; that's not happening."_ Caroline stated as she clearly remembered his earlier offer; she was not going to let him see any part of her naked.

 _"What do you look like in wolf form?"_ Klaus asked as he began losing his patience again.

 _"A wolf."_ Caroline replied sarcastically and he rolled his eyes.

 _"Obviously sweetheart. Long or short fur?"_ He asked, even though the length of her fur wouldn't matter; he was distracting her.

 _"I'd say medium."_ She replied since she honestly had no idea where he was going with all of this; it didn't seem important.

 _"Black fur?"_ Klaus asked seriously since it was the main question he needed to know; if it wasn't black his theory was correct and there was more she would need to learn than he had originally thought.

 _"No."_ Caroline answered with a shake of her head as she began to feel uneasy; she didn't know if she should talk about fur color or not. Sure… she had been wanting to know why she and Tyler looked different, but she hadn't wanted to find out from Klaus.

 _"Really? What color is your fur then?"_ Klaus asked as a part of him didn't want to believe her; he had seen many wolves claim to be more than what they were. Yet he couldn't help but think she was telling the truth because she didn't know much about her own kind, and it didn't make sense for her to try and lie about it.

 _"Really and why does it matter?"_ She asked.

 _"Because most wolves, even alphas, have black fur. I've only seen 3 wolves besides myself in the last 1000 years with another color."_ Klaus stated as he kept out the reason why there were other colors; if she wasn't what she was saying, which he doubted at this point, he could cause some problems by telling her.

 _"So what colors have you seen?"_ Caroline asked since she was beginning to wonder if it meant something important that she NEEDED to know.

 _"Gray and tan."_ He answered her as he studied her expressions; she seemed like she was still confused, and maybe a little disappointed, but he couldn't tell why she would be disappointed.

 _"Which one are you?"_ She asked as she wondered if maybe he was the same color as her or if he was grey or tan; along with still wondering the significance of it all.

 _"Gray… now you."_ He answered and looked at her expectantly; he wanted this matter settled, and quickly.

 _"White."_ She answered and he looked at her in silence while he looked like he was trying to figure out something in his head. _"What's wrong with it?"_ She asked when he looked like he either didn't believe her or was trying to wrap his head around finding a fur color he wasn't familiar with.

 _"I've not seen it but I've heard of it…"_ Klaus told her as he tried to figure out how it was possible; those specific lines were supposed to be all gone. He looked away from her as he tried to remain impassive on the outside while inside he was wondering if she really was lying; it was easier to believe than accepting he had been wrong all this time.

 _"I'm not lying."_ She responded as she started to get angrier and focused her shifting to her arm. She saw Klaus' head look towards the sound of her arm breaking and held her arm out, still focusing on shifting only in the one area. She hadn't attempted a partial shift before so she didn't know if she could or not; she hadn't even heard of one. But she managed to get her arm changed halfway up past her elbow enough to show the white fur before shifting it back. When her arm was normal again she gave it a little shake since it felt a little weird and the tingling stopped. She took a couple breaths to calm herself before looking back up to him. _"See? White fur."_

 _"Have you been practicing shifting in just one area?"_ Klaus asked as he deflected from answering the look she was giving; clearly she didn't know what she was or how special that made her. Although the fact that she could control her shifting to one part of her body was gratifying since none of his other hybrids could do it; not just because they hadn't been practicing, but because of how much their bloodline decided how much power they had.

 _"No, but there was no way I was fully shifting in front of you."_ She remarked and looked at him as if to say 'duh' and he remained quiet for a minute. _"What does fur color mean?"_ She asked after a minute when he didn't offer up anything about it. She began thinking that maybe she had gave away too much, but he shrugged it off like it wasn't anything too important.

 _"It's usually a sign of power… you being the first alpha female in your line could have something to do with it."_ He quickly covered since he didn't want to be the one to tell her the truth; she would probably think he was lying anyway. He hadn't exactly lied since she was the first female in her line and that line was older than he was; she would always be more powerful than any other hybrid he would make. Now he knew he had to be more careful with her than he had thought; he couldn't kill her and she couldn't kill him.

 _"Can I go now?"_ Caroline asked impatiently after she saw him drift away in his thoughts; she didn't want to stand around all night in the middle of the woods with him, especially when he wasn't going to tell her anything important.

 _"What's the rush sweetheart?"_ He asked as he tried to think of a way to get her to open up more with him.

 _"I want to go home. I don't want to talk to you and I have my mom and Matt to check on."_ She told him, purposely leaving out how much she wanted away from him.

 _"But don't you have your own questions to ask?"_ He asked and she knew it was so she'd stay longer. He could see the understanding in her eyes and mentally smacked himself for asking so quickly and giving away that he wanted to talk to her more.

 _"Would you release Tyler from the sire bond?"_ Caroline asked, knowing what his answer would be, but she thought it was worth a try.

 _"No."_ He answered her in a clipped tone to indicate it wasn't up for discussion but she didn't let it go.

 _"Why not?"_ She pressed as she wanted him to admit he was using him.

 _"It's useful for me to have right now."_ Klaus replied and saw her nod; he knew she had already figured out the connections to Tyler that made him useful.

 _"You're ruining his life."_ She stated in her own clipped tone and watched as he took a couple steps towards her again.

 _"From all of his complaining I haven't heard him complain about being sired except once; today. Believe what you want but I do not wish for you or Tyler to hate me."_ Klaus spoke, although he didn't really care about Tyler at all besides the leverage he provided. But as for the blonde in front of him… he honestly didn't want her to hate him or plot against him; especially with what he had learned.

 _"No you just want us to be your little minion slaves…"_ She tried to point out sarcastically but he cut her off.

 _"No I want a pack and every pack has a hierarchy; I'm the top alpha of the hybrids."_ He explained and tried to think of how to express to her that he wanted her to be his 2nd rank; even if he already thought of her that way before learning what he had that night.

 _"That doesn't mean you can force people to serve you…"_ Caroline said as if it was obvious, but she knew he didn't see things that way; if he did he would let Tyler go.

 _"The next set in the chain would be the alphas I've turned; including you."_ Klaus continued, effectively interrupting her, and heard her make a startled sound before shaking her head and raising one of her arms from her hips to run it through her hair in frustration.

 _"I am sooo NOT a part of your little plan there…"_ She tried to argue, but he carried on as if she hadn't said a word and she kept repeating everything her dad had taught her about staying in control; when all she wanted to do was beat the hell out him and maybe snap his neck, or stake him.

 _"You being the only alpha female I've turned puts you ahead of the other alphas."_ Klaus stated with a feeling of pride; he had turned the perfect weapon. But the problem was that his best, and most powerful hybrid was against him and he needed to change that. He had partly hoped she would see how important all of this made her and she might feel obligated to the other hybrids, but he doubted it. Watching her reaction he knew he couldn't use the other hybrids to sway her, and that made him want her all the more; even if it did irritate him to be brushed aside so easily.

 _"I don't care… I want NO part of your plans…"_ Caroline insisted, but he cut her off again.

 _"That is not an option for you."_ He spoke as he got frustrated and she put her hands on her hips to keep from punching him. _"The next part of ranking is the common wolves; like Tyler. The more useful they prove or the stronger they are the higher I rank them. The higher the rank the more I think of them."_ He explained and she felt a panic creep up. If he ranked her higher than the other hybrids in his mind it meant he was telling her he wanted her to be second in command; and that was something she didn't want. She wasn't going to break the loyalty she had to her friends; pack loyalty be damned in this case. He watched the realization sink in and kept himself from showing any reaction; now she understood how highly he ranked her, even if she didn't know everything else about it.

 _"You set this up… all of it…"_ Caroline began slowly and saw him look at her a little confused as she took a couple steps back from him.

 _"What are you talking about?"_ Klaus asked as he wondered whether or not she did know what type of wolf she was; or if she figured out exactly how much leverage she was herself.

 _"You turned me and Tyler, not just because we're wolves, but because you wanted us to choose your pack instead of our friends."_ Caroline accused and saw him look to the side before looking back at her and making up the distance she had created between them. She wanted to step back but she wasn't going to cower in front of him and let him push over top of her.

 _"Like it or not sweetheart you are a part of MY pack…"_ Klaus insisted as he felt a little relief that she hadn't figured everything out yet; even if she did figure out his original plan for her and Tyler.

 _"Consider me a lone wolf then."_ She said and flashed off not wanting to hear anymore, but she found herself pinned against a tree seconds later.

 _"Did I say you could leave?"_ He asked as he was still getting over the fact she had sped away from him; he knew she couldn't have outrun him, but her thinking she could just leave without permission after everything that night was a little surprising. One thing he noticed was how much strength she had as he held her against the tree; had he not been an older hybrid, specifically an original, he knew he wouldn't have been able to keep her there.

 _"I will not stand by or support you when you are going after my friends."_ She stated and pushed at him to get him to back up. _"My loyalty isn't to species; strangers you turned to serve you. And I will not betray my friends so if you can't handle that then you might as well just kill me now because I'm not changing my mind."_ She finished and glared at him as she remained pinned. She waited for him to speak or just kill her but all she heard was the harsh breaths they each had. Then he stepped back enough to let her step away from the tree. He had been tempted to take things farther than pinning her, especially with them both breathing so hard, and he didn't need to let her notice the effect she had in that moment. Now he could admit that he did want her, but he would have to go about that subtlety or everyone would use her against him; and he wouldn't let her be a weakness for him.

 _"One day I'll have your loyalty and I expect it to be just as fierce as it is now."_ He stated and she shook her head. He just smirked before flashing away and she sped home to make sure he didn't go there. When she entered her house she flashed through checking every room; not stopping until she was sure Klaus hadn't come back there. When her mother saw her flashing through she went to sit at the table to wait and Caroline joined her when she was done checking out the house.

 _"Mind telling me what that was all about?"_ Liz inquired and Caroline knew she would have to recap everything she and Klaus had discussed; even if some of it didn't make sense and she would have to ask her dad.

 _"Just making sure he didn't come back here… you gave him an invite and he's faster than me."_ Caroline pointed out as she gave her mother a look; she still couldn't believe Klaus now had an invite to her house.

 _"Why would he come back here?"_ Her mom asked and Caroline bit her lip as she gathered her thoughts enough to answer without worrying her mother.

 _"Because I said I wasn't going to do anything he said or betray my friends."_ She answered when she finally realized she had got absorbed in her thoughts and her mom was still waiting for an answer.

 _"He's dangerous…"_ Liz tried to begin an argument, but Caroline didn't want to start down that road yet if she could help it.

 _"Says the person that invited him into the house."_ Caroline said, cutting her mother off with a pointed look.

 _"I'm just saying that maybe you should stay out of everything you can that involves him."_ Her mother suggested and Caroline could see the worry in her eyes, but there was nothing she could really do to avoid that.

 _"I'm trying to Mom. Did you call Dad?"_ Caroline deflected from giving a whole answer and switched topics.

 _"Yea he said he'd be here tomorrow. He thinks it's time he works with Tyler and he wants to try and help you stay clear of Klaus."_

 _"Well the good news is that Klaus doesn't want to make Dad a hybrid. He said one wild card was enough; he wouldn't risk Dad being another one."_ Caroline informed her mom as she felt a little bit of relief finally come through with that news; she didn't want her dad to go through that.

 _"That the only good news?"_

 _"Yep. He said a lot of things I need to ask Dad about. He asked questions and I evaded what I could, but it felt like I was in an interrogation."_ Caroline answered honestly and hoped she hadn't gave away anything too important.

 _"What did he ask?"_

 _"Wolf questions… but then he talked about how he had a chain of command; like a hierarchy. The way he was talking he pretty much admitted that I'm the highest ranked hybrid he's made in his head."_ Caroline answered with a huff as she felt her frustration come back; she refused to be ranked with the other hybrids or be a part of any of Klaus' plans.

 _"I don't know whether that would be a good thing or the worst."_

 _"I would say the worst since he wants all the hybrids he's made to be loyal to him and 'the pack'."_ Caroline spoke her thoughts as she explained a little more about it to her mom. She really did think it would be a bad thing to be ranked highly by Klaus; it would further complicate things with Tyler and her friends.

 _"But thinking of you that highly means he won't kill you…"_

 _"But me making him angry would make anyone I cared about a target if he wanted to make a strike."_ Caroline pointed out as she tried to show her mom just how stuck she was in the situation; that seemed to only be getting worse at this point.

 _"True. Which is why it looked like a miniature tornado came through the house."_

 _"Exactly. I told him to consider me a lone wolf because my loyalty was to the people I care about; not his pack because they're the same species and I'm told to. Then I told him if he couldn't handle that to just kill me because I wasn't changing my mind."_

 _"Well you're alive so what did he say?"_ Liz asked cautiously, not sure if she wanted to know. Caroline rolled her eyes and took in a breath to explain it.

 _"He didn't say anything for a minute… but when he did he said that one day he'd have my loyalty and he expected it to be 'as fierce' as it is now for my friends."_

 _"You're lucky he didn't kill you."_ Liz stressed and Caroline scoffed; she wasn't going to believe she was a live just because he "thought highly" of her.

 _"No he just wants to interfere in my life and play matchmaker."_ Caroline ranted but then realized what she had let slip; she hadn't wanted to bring up the dating customs until after she had talked to her dad.

 _"What?"_ Liz asked confused and Caroline huffed again before explaining things a little further.

 _"One of the things I need to ask Dad about is the 'rules' for alpha females. Klaus said an alpha female can only be with an alpha male. He even has alphas he wants me to meet…"_

 _"What about Tyler?"_ Liz cut her off and she felt her insides cringe; she really didn't know what would happen since Tyler would likely go along with the rules because of him being sired.

 _"Tyler isn't an alpha; Dad even said that."_ Caroline informed her mother and let the information sink in. Although… it could have been worse if she had mentioned that Tyler already knew about this and hadn't told her anything; her dad too if it was the truth.

 _"Are you going to?"_ Liz asked and Caroline couldn't believe her mom had just asked her that; she knew her better than that.

 _"Seriously?! I told him that I was SO NOT going to meet any alphas he threw my way nor would I let some 'rule' tell me who I can be with. We are not in the stone ages anymore and I refuse to follow rules set in that time period."_ Caroline ranted and saw her mother smiling at her with a look that she gave when she was proud of something she had done.

 _"How did he take it?"_ Liz asked with a slight laugh and Caroline knew she was trying to picture Klaus' reaction.

 _"Well… he tried to talk but I told him that not everybody follows orders and I'm sorry but I kind of used you and Dad as an example; I mean because Dad's an alpha and you're a normal human being. Alpha werewolves aren't supposed to be with humans, normal ones can, but not alphas. And you're not together now but I happened when you were, so clearly some rules are meant to be broken from time to time."_ Caroline rambled so her mom wouldn't get as upset as she thought she would; she really hadn't meant to talk about them, but it kind of just happened.

 _"And?"_

 _"And what?"_ Caroline asked when she realized her mom wasn't angry about; more curious than anything.

 _"What did he answer to that?"_ Liz probed and Caroline once again felt like she was being interrogated; even if she didn't really mind answering questions for her mom.

 _"He asked why you're not together and I told him because Dad is gay."_ Caroline answered and saw Liz begin laughing a little before putting a hand over her mouth to stop. Caroline couldn't help but give her own giggle as she remembered his reaction; he had genuinely seemed surprised to learn that little fact.

 _"I bet that one threw him off."_ Liz said before she began laughing again; coughing to make herself stop again and keep a straight face.

 _"Actually it did for a minute… I thought he was asking what I meant so I explained that Dad likes guys. But then he said he knew what I was talking about. So I had a moment where I couldn't help but ask if he was gay and I threw it in his face that if he was asking about Dad for that kind of interest that Dad has a boyfriend and he wasn't Dad's type."_ She said and Liz started laughing. Caroline laughed with her until she remembered how he had looked at her afterward. When her mom stopped laughing she caught her breath before carrying on.

 _"So… how did he react to that?"_ Liz asked and Caroline knew her mom had realized she had stopped laughing and her mood had turned sour again.

 _"He turned creepy… offered to prove to me he wasn't gay."_ Caroline informed her mom and watched as Liz visibly showed her shock and tried to think of what to say.

 _"Oh…"_

 _"Don't worry I said no and I expressed that I had absolutely no interest whatsoever in him."_ Caroline supplied when she realized her mom was still trying to come back from that little bit of news. She couldn't blame her mom for needing a minute; after all, she had just heard that a 1000 year old hybrid had just offered to have sex with her daughter.

 _"So, not only is he picking out alphas to try and set you up with, he made a pass at you?"_ Liz asked after she had composed herself and Caroline looked at her uneasily; she hadn't thought Klaus meant that as anything more than an offer to prove he wasn't gay, but obviously her mom had. That made her a little worried and she inwardly cringed again at the thought her mom might be right.

 _"I really hope he was just saying that to say he wasn't gay instead of it being a pass at me. That's just beyond creepy."_ Caroline stated as she continued to process her thoughts; not liking at all where they were going. She had already admitted to herself that he was attractive, but the thought Klaus in general was a door she would rather remain closed; she would not betray her friends or Tyler just because someone looked good. Hell, he had been the one to kill her and that alone pissed her off; he couldn't kill her and then make a pass at her. Although now that she thought about it, he had been looking her over since before he had turned her.

 _"If what he says is true about alpha females having to pick an alpha male, and he thinks of you as a second in 'his pack' then I would think he was making a pass sweetie."_ Liz offered up her thoughts and Caroline couldn't help her reaction that time.

 _"Ew… not just no, but ah hell no!"_ Caroline ranted out and then sat back with a whining sound; she really hated having this particular discussion with her mom.

 _"I think we should wait to bring THAT particular conversation up with your father. You can ask about the alpha female things, but don't mention a crazy 1000 year old invincible hybrid attempted to be one of the options. Also… don't mention you told him about us… it might not go too good."_

 _"Alright… so… I think that none of this is going to get any better soon, but maybe once Dad helps Tyler it'll get easier. Tyler thinks I've been cheating on him with Matt."_ Caroline spoke her thoughts as she thought about Tyler; she couldn't believe he had thought that or had blabbed about it to Klaus, and she didn't know if she could be mad or not because she didn't know if Klaus used the sire bond to get information or not.

 _"I know the answer and that I don't have to ask, but have you?"_

 _"No. Me and Matt are the only ones that have missed Tyler; it's like he's on another planet and we're all still here. We keep trying to find ways to spend time with him without information getting passed to him; and then to Klaus through Tyler."_ Caroline explained the dynamics of how she saw her friendship with Matt, and how they had both just been trying to spend time with Tyler.

 _"I understand what you mean sweetie. I know you wouldn't cheat on anyone. And I know you love Tyler, but I don't know where his actions tonight will lead y'all. He nearly killed Matt and could have attacked you as well. You might not die from a wolf bite but he could have killed you another way."_

 _"I know… it all just happened so fast… and the next thing I knew Matt was bit and I made Tyler leave; as in actually gave him an order and he followed it."_ Caroline replayed the scene out loud as the images passed through her head, making her shiver; she didn't think she'd ever get that out of her head.

 _"Like the sire bond?"_

 _"No it's from being an alpha… if I put enough force into something I say it comes out a command and a wolf that's not an alpha has to follow it. But Dad said I would be different because I'm the first alpha female in our line so I may be able to do it to other alphas as long as I'm stronger than them."_ Caroline explained to her confused looking mother as she forcefully pushed the earlier scene from her head; she didn't want to think about it anymore.

 _"You'll have to be careful with that one."_

 _"I know… I've used it a couple times on Tyler now. It was an accident each time but it still happened."_

 _"Just be careful. Anything else you want to talk about?"_ Her mother asked and Caroline thought about it for a minute; most of the things she needed to know she'd have to ask her dad about and looking at her mom she could see how tired she was so she decided to cut the conversation short for the night.

 _"No I think I'm gonna check on Matt and go to bed. Dad will be here tomorrow and I probably need to rest up; I don't know what he's gonna do."_

 _"It's Tyler's turn to get help; not yours. But I love you so get your rest. Goodnight."_

 _"Love you too. Goodnight."_ Caroline replied as they each stood. Liz went to her room to go to sleep and Caroline walked in to check on Matt. Seeing the wound fully healed and him back to healthy she went to her room to get some sleep.

 ** _Klaus POV…_**

After leaving Caroline in the woods, Klaus flashed off to feed before going back to his house to inform Tyler that Matt was alive. When Tyler asked about Caroline Klaus told him she would likely want time before seeing him. He briefly told him a couple things that were talked about, from the alpha female rules to Tyler's accusations. Seeing Tyler look down in regret he knew he had hit his mark and Tyler would be busy trying to make things up with her, but he would fail because he wasn't any match for her. As stubborn as Caroline was she would hold the bite against Tyler for a while; whether or not he himself had been involved. He had told the truth about revoking the command and Tyler had acted on his own will, so he figured he would let Tyler try and scramble for excuses while he made his first actual move.

Dismissing Tyler, Klaus went to his room and looked through a collection of jewelry pieces he had looking for something he thought might impress Caroline. When he stumbled upon a diamond infinity bracelet he closed the box down and looked for a ribbon and paper. After wrapping the ribbon around the box he scribbled happy birthday on one side of the paper and from Klaus on the other side and tucked it under the ribbon. Not wanting to appear too obvious in his attentions to her he found a pair of cuff links to give to Matt, writing Matt's name on another piece of paper to place on top of the box when he placed it.

He flashed back to the Forbes house and saw everyone had gone to bed. Smirking to himself he went inside and placed Matt's gift first, putting the paper on top of the box, before going into Caroline's room. He spent longer in there as he watched her sleep and looked around at everything in her room. He heard her make a squeaking sound and thought he had been caught but he saw she was still asleep. He slowly approached the bed again and laid the bracelet box on her nightstand before leaning over and looking at her. He could see the make-up she had been wearing earlier was all gone and the blanket was low enough he could tell her lower body was only covered by her panties and the blanket. Fighting the urge to pull the blanket further down he reached over and brought it up higher to cover her more. Then he noticed she had a little bear tucked between her arm and body and had to suppress a chuckle; the fiery little blonde was sleeping with a teddy bear. Although he should be used to HER surprising him since it had been nothing but surprises when she was concerned; right from the start. He didn't really want to push his luck any further so he crept out of the house and made his way back home.


	7. Chapter 7

******Shout out to** **Dee Lishous for the inspiring words written in the review**** I thank everyone for taking the time to review, favorite, and follow this story, as well as my others. Here is a little treat since I will be busy with my college class over the next couple days and won't have as much time to write or post, especially with work, kids, and getting ready for a surgery. Thanks again everyone and enjoy!**

 **Chapter 7**

Caroline woke up hearing her mother tell her it was time to get up, so she sat up and stretched. When she turned to put her bear down under the bed she saw a small box with a ribbon tied on it sitting on her dresser. She stared at it confused for a couple second before grabbing it and turning around, slowly pulling the paper out from under the ribbon. She read that it was from Klaus wishing her a happy birthday, but she couldn't remember him stopping in her room before he left and the box wasn't there when she got home; which meant he had to come back to drop it off while they were all asleep. Aggravated but curious, she pulled the ribbon loose so she could open the box, her breath leaving in disbelief and she knew her eyes had to bulging. She ran her hand over the diamond bracelet before pulling it back and shutting the box. She put it down in her nightstand drawer and put on some shorts so she could leave her room. Emerging from her room she went to the guestroom to check on Matt, so she paused and knocked. She heard him tell her to come in and froze when she saw him looking at a smaller box.

 _"You too?"_

 _"Huh?"_ Matt asked confusedly and Caroline flashed to her room to get her gift and bring it to show him.

 _"I asked if he gave you something too?"_ Caroline cleared his confusion as she held up the jewelry box.

 _"Cufflinks… what about you?"_

 _"Bracelet."_ She answered and opened the box to turn it around. He turned his box around and they studied each other's gifts before she closed her and returned it to her room. When she came back he was still looking confused so she looked around and spotted the paper that had been with his. When she saw it didn't say anything special she placed it back down, looking to see if he had wrapped the box in a ribbon like he had heard; but no ribbon was to be seen. _"What do you remember from last night?"_

 _"What do you mean?"_ He asked as she wondered if he would remember his hallucinations or Klaus showing up and getting invited into her house.

 _"From when Klaus was here… do you remember him coming here?"_

 _"Barely… why did he save me? What does he want out of it… and what could he possibly want with giving us gifts?"_

 _"I don't exactly know why he saved you besides him saying he didn't want me or Tyler to hate him; us being hybrids and all. But now he has an invite to my house… it was the only way he'd save you and Mom let him in."_ Caroline rambled since she didn't honestly know the exact reason why Klaus had saved him the night before.

 _"Your mom let him in so he could save me?"_ Matt asked confusedly and Caroline sighed as she shifted from one foot to the other.

 _"Yeah… he wants her support in keeping the council off his back since she's the sheriff. And you don't even want to know what he discussed with me so don't get me started. I made it perfectly clear which side I'm on."_

 _"Figures… what about Tyler?"_

 _"Klaus said that he HAD told him to bite you…"_ Caroline began but Matt cut her off.

 _"I knew it…"_

 _"BUT he said he revoked the order… which meant that Tyler bit you on his own."_ Caroline finished what she had been trying to say and saw Matt's confusion come back. She hated that she would have to explain what had been going on in Tyler's head and she knew Matt would feel let down that his best friends hadn't had any faith in him involving her.

 _"That doesn't make any sense…"_

 _"Tyler thinks you and I are having an affair…"_ Caroline explained quickly but Matt cut her off again; which didn't surprise her since she knew he would react a lot like she had with the news.

 _"Has he gone crazy?!"_

 _"That's how I reacted… I've told him several times that nothing is going on and last night I had to tell Klaus that."_ Caroline explained and waved her arms around in her frustration; she really hated having to discuss her fidelity to Klaus.

 _"What does he even know about it?"_

 _"Apparently Tyler has been talking about it non-stop and it's started to aggravate him…"_

 _"So he should let him go…"_

 _"That's what I told him. He said he isn't going to release him from the sire bond; he's the perfect candidate for leverage right now because of you and me. As long as we miss him we'd stop Damon or Stefan from killing him to protect Elena."_

 _"What do we do?"_

 _"My dad is coming today… I have to think of a way to get Tyler here without Klaus following him."_ Caroline explained and hoped she wouldn't have to go too far into detail about it all; her dad was a touchy subject and she didn't think Matt would like it too much if he really knew what all being "helped" required.

 _"How do we do that?"_

 _"Tyler isn't invited in here but you are. I can go to the Lockwood mansion and talk to him…"_

 _"It's too dangerous…"_ Matt tried to cut in but she shook her head and held up her hand to silence him; she was the one that would be safest to show up.

 _"I have to Matt. I can tell Tyler you want to talk to him and you can stay inside the house and say what you want, but then my dad can talk to him and offer his help. If Tyler doesn't take his help my dad won't force it on him… which means we'll lose him."_

 _"What about Klaus?"_

 _"If he's there I'll distract him…"_ Caroline stated as if it wasn't a big deal; and if her mom was right then it should be easy enough, but Matt didn't need to know about all of that.

 _"How are you gonna do that?"_

 _"Feel like giving up those cufflinks?"_ She asked and saw him look at her confused again.

 _"Huh?"_

 _"I can return his 'presents' because I think he's just trying to buy us off anyway. It'll send a message… and I don't really want to keep anything from him."_

 _"Okay… sounds good to me. But what if he doesn't take them back?"_

 _"I'll throw them at him or something…"_ She replied seriously as she mentally pictured herself doing just that; it would be hilarious to see him shocked, even if she did end up pinned to a wall or another tree. If her mom was right then he wouldn't kill her, but she couldn't be too much of a bitch or he might kill someone she cared about.

 _"Don't get him angry at you Care… he'll kill you…"_

 _"He won't kill me Matt… like I said, you don't want to know everything we talked about."_

 _"What did he say?"_

 _"In his stupid little idea of a 'pack' he considers me ranked at the top; above all the other hybrids he's made."_ She gave as she kept what her mom had pointed out during their discussion; he HAD told her he thought of her above the other hybrids.

 _"Why?"_

 _"It's a wolf power thing… I'm the first alpha female in the Forbes line… and other wolves have to listen to me."_

 _"That's a little… intense."_ Matt stated and she couldn't help but think how he really had no idea how INTENSE it really was; and Matt knew less about wolf customs than she did.

 _"You have no idea… I may even be able to give an order to another alpha too; as long as I'm stronger than them of course. I don't really know how it all works since Dad and Tyler are the only wolves I know; or care to know."_

 _"What does he want you to do?"_

 _"Meet other alphas… but I'm not going to. I have to talk to Dad about some things before I can really explain it all. I don't trust asking Damon because he'd probably say 'go for it' just so he can make another plan that'll crash and burn."_

 _"Why would Damon say go for it?"_

 _"Because what I have to ask about are certain rules for alpha females. Klaus said an alpha female can't be with a normal werewolf like Tyler; he said an alpha female can only be with an alpha male."_

 _"That can't be right…"_ Matt cut in and she gave him a look to say "you think?" before shaking her head.

 _"I don't know but I don't care. I don't care how things were done in prehistoric times… if I want to be with Tyler then I'll be with Tyler; alpha or not."_

 _"Could it get you in trouble?"_

 _"Don't know; don't care."_

 _"He's probably lying…"_

 _"So I hope, but that's what I have to ask Dad about. Plus why Dad and I are a different color than Tyler and can focus my shifting to one part of my body."_ Caroline offered up since it had been bothering her all night and she couldn't get the look Klaus had shown out of her head; like it had surprised him or it meant something more than he was saying it did.

 _"Huh?"_

 _"The only wolves I've seen besides myself and Dad have black fur. Klaus said he'd only seen 3 besides himself over the past 1000 years that didn't have black fur, but none of them were white like me and Dad; they were tan or grey."_

 _"That's got to mean something… what about the shifting?"_

 _"I'm the only hybrid he's made that even has an interest in shifting after being turned, but I can focus my shifting to one part of my body. Want to see?"_

 _"Sure."_

 _"Hang on and let me get Mom."_ She said and stood to yell for her mom to join them. When Liz walked into the room Caroline explained she wanted to show them something and had Liz sit next to Matt on the bed while she stood by the door and held her arm out. Thinking about Klaus she felt her anger come up quickly and the pull to shift so she looked down at her arm and concentrated her shifting to just her arm like the night before. When she was holding a paw out in front of her she looked up at them to see them staring in shock so she walked closer and let them feel it before the urge to continue took over and returned to her place to shift it back. _"Neat huh?"_

 _"It's definitely cool… how did you do that?"_

 _"I channel anger to shift so I just directed all my anger at my arm. I can't hold it for long before I want to let the rest of my body turn and I have to switch it back though."_ She explained as she shook her arm a little; it tingling just like it had the night before. She tried to think back on the times she had fully shifted to see if her whole body had tingled, but she couldn't remember it doing so, so she focused back on her mom and Matt.

 _"It's still amazing sweetie. So when are you going to shift at home?"_ Liz asked and Caroline couldn't help but give an "aww" sound as she clasped her hands together over her chest and gave a puppy dog face.

 _"Do you miss me cuddling while I'm a wolf?"_ Caroline teased her mom and Matt looked between them in further shock. _"What?"_

 _"You cuddled with your mom?"_

 _"Matt I could turn and stay in control… I bet I wouldn't even attack a vampire."_ Caroline stated as she watched his jaw drop further in shock.

 _"Why would you say that?"_

 _"Because I still know who is who and let's say I shifted near you; I wouldn't attack you unless you attacked me."_ Caroline explained and saw him reach up to scratch his head; a habit he seemed to have carried over from his human days for when he was wrapping something around in his head.

 _"That's amazing…"_

 _"I know, right?"_ Caroline laughed and her mom told them she had to leave for work so she excused herself. When she was sure they were alone she turned to look at Matt questioningly.

 _"What?"_

 _"You going to school?"_ She asked since she didn't know if he felt like it or if they would have to wait until after school to begin their plan for Tyler.

 _"Not today… I will tomorrow."_

 _"Me either… I want to be here when Dad gets here."_

 _"Okay… so what are we gonna do today?"_

 _"How about we start with breakfast and see where we get to?"_

 _"Sounds like a plan… or we can give the others a reason to lay out today and come see you shift."_ Matt teased and she shook her head.

 _"They probably want to know you're alive too, but I don't want to chance my dad getting here while I'm showing off my wolf form; I don't think I'm supposed to do that. We'll call them… just leave out the 'gift' part until I can throw them in his face... and the shifting part."_

 _"Sounds fine to me"_

 _"Good."_ She stated and left to go to the kitchen to start making pancakes. She heard Matt enter the kitchen with his phone on speaker talking to Elena and Bonnie at the same time. He let them know he was fine and that neither him nor Caroline would be at school until the next day; they just wanted a day to process everything. Caroline didn't say much as he talked to the girl's, and when that call finished Damon called a couple minutes later. She made sure only Matt heard her when she told him to not mention the wolf stuff to anyone yet; especially Damon.

A few hours later they heard a knock at the door and Caroline answered it to see her father so she let him in. Bill only paused slightly when he spotted Matt in the kitchen making them both sandwiches and heard him offer to make one for him. After Matt made them each a sandwich Caroline found the chips to go with them, and they ate lunch while discussing the game plan. Her father agreed it would be a good idea for Caroline to distract Klaus if he was at the Lockwood mansion, but if he wasn't then she would need to come help with Tyler. He made it clear that Matt would stay at the house or go home once Tyler agreed to accept his help; still not knowing whether he would or not.

With a plan in place Caroline walked outside, looked around to make sure no one was looking, before flashing straight to the Lockwood mansion and knocking on the door. She greeted Carol and asked for Tyler, declining the invitation to go inside politely. When Tyler came to the door her suspicions of him missing school too were proven right and she asked if he wanted to go talk to Matt since he was still at her house. When he tried to make excuses she cut him off and told him he could say what he wanted to say when they got to her house. She asked if Klaus was hovering anywhere and listening in on them, but when she heard he was at his own house she nodded and gestured for them to leave. He told his mom he was leaving before flashing to follow Caroline. When he got stuck at the door he saw Matt and Bill standing behind Caroline. So she stepped back outside with him while her father and Matt stayed inside.

 _"Matt… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…"_ Tyler began but Matt cut him off.

 _"Yes you did… but it's okay; I get it."_ Matt countered, although she had to give him points for not sounding angry about it.

 _"Klaus ordered me to bite you… I would never hurt either of you…"_

 _"Klaus said he told you nevermind too."_ Caroline cut in to cut off his excuse.

 _"We can't be for sure if he meant it though so Tyler you have a choice to make."_ Bill stated and looked at Tyler. When Tyler looked confused he held up a hand to explain. _"Do you want my help to break the sire bond?"_

 _"Yea…"_

 _"It'll be painful and at times you'll wish you had never been born. Can you handle that?"_

 _"I don't want to hurt anyone else."_

 _"Are you willing to shift?"_

 _"If I have to…"_

 _"You'll have to shift over and over until you aren't grateful for not having to turn. You'll have to embrace the pain of the transformation…"_

 _"I don't know if I can do that."_

 _"If you want your freedom you'll have to."_

 _"I can only try… what if it doesn't work though?"_

 _"Then you can't be helped. The only way you can break the bond is to fight it or for him to release you. He's already said he won't give you your freedom so you'll have to work for it."_ Bill explained and Tyler looked between Caroline and Bill nervously. Matt excused himself to go home after stepping out to give Tyler a pat on the shoulder and flashing away. Bill stepped out of the house and Caroline agreed to flash them to the cells Tyler and her father turned in since Bill didn't want anyone but him and Caroline using the other ones. Tyler followed behind them and once they were all inside Bill instructed him to enter a cell and Caroline stay outside of it. When Tyler stripped down to his gym shorts Caroline bolted the door and Bill pulled out an ax.

 _"I have to get you angry or afraid… I need you to use it to turn and not just block my actions."_ Bill explained and used the handle to hit Tyler in the stomach. Caroline felt the air leave her body but forced herself to stay on the outside of the door. She wondered if her mother had felt the same way she was at the moment when she had watched her father help her. Every time her father hit him he would throw a wolfsbane/vervain mix on him when he wasn't turning. Over and over Tyler took a blow from Bill but he had only snapped a couple bones over the process, and he couldn't overcome the pain of turning.

Caroline felt helpless as she watched and couldn't do anything so she opened the door again, getting stopped by her father. She didn't let her worry show as she told her father to try an easier way, but he just readjust the ax and swung the head at him, hitting the wall next to him as Tyler ducked. When Caroline disagreed with the new method her father explained that he would have to only get worse if Tyler didn't turn and threw more mixture on him. What was stranger was that Tyler had little to no control over himself whereas she had always had complete control; but then she had been conditioned that way. Still… he had triggered the curse before her and shifted before so he should know what to do and it shouldn't be as difficult as it was proving to be.

After a few more swings and mix got thrown at him he managed to snap and get halfway turned. When Bill stepped forward to do it again Tyler lunged and attacked him. Caroline didn't have time to react before she saw the ax sticking out of her father and Tyler biting at him. When she snapped out of it she threw Tyler off of her father and ordered him to stand down and shift back. While he was shifting back she picked up her father and flashed him to the hospital, knowing her father wouldn't accept her blood to heal. She quickly explained to Meredith the truth about what happened because Dr. Fell knew about the supernatural creatures and the doctor quickly went to work.

When they had him stable Caroline left to return to Tyler but he wasn't there so she flashed to the Lockwood mansion. He wasn't home so she looked at the Lockwood cellar not wanting to go to Klaus' house and found him trying to shift in chains. When he saw her he stopped and asked how her dad was and she told him everything Meredith had told her. She knew he hadn't meant to hurt her father, but it still hurt that Tyler couldn't be helped as easily as she thought. Then she felt guilt for not having the courage to help him break the sire bond without her father there.

She told him there wasn't another way to break the bond and if he couldn't do it then they didn't have a chance at fighting against Klaus to be together; it would pull them apart. After talking to her father earlier she knew Klaus hadn't been lying about the alpha female rules, but she still intended to go against them to be with Tyler. She decided to leave him there to keep trying as she went to let Matt know what happened; not being able to watch him failing to shift. Matt didn't like hearing that the first attempt had been a complete failure in less than an hour and didn't know what to do to help; Caroline explaining it was too dangerous for Matt to help. Not wanting to take up all Matt's time she decided to go home and rest up for the next day.

 ** _Klaus POV…_**

Furious and suspicious would be the two words to describe how Klaus was feeling with all of his family back and awake; his mother included. He had wanted to reunite them all when the time was right, but Damon had woken up his siblings and as they were each shoving a dagger in him their mother had arrived; claiming she wanted to forgive him instead of kill him. Now he was having to endure hearing his siblings voicing their anger and hatred towards him as they were each being fitted for clothes; half of them being in a box for over a century. His mother had recommended they throw a ball to integrate them into the local society and to soothe out the discord with the other supernaturals in the area.

He didn't really like the idea of a ball, but the more he thought about it he thought it could help with his little hybrid situation; including Caroline. They hadn't made the announcement for the ball yet and his mother and siblings planned to take the next few days to arrange everything before sending out the invitations; giving him his house back during the times they were gone. Of course he would likely have his peace disturbed by one of the local supernaturals still trying to end his existence and he would have to figure out how to not kill anyone to appease his mother; she was still a witch after all.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Caroline knew it would be dangerous for her father to try and unsire Tyler, but she never expected him to end up in the hospital; she thought Tyler had more control than that. Sure her father hadn't exactly given Tyler much choice to turn when he had an ax and had threatened him with it, but she knew he wouldn't have killed him; Tyler should have known that too. She was stuck between being angry at Tyler and feeling sorry that she had put so much on him by letting her father try to break the sire bond when she would have been able to do without a risk to her life; she was a hybrid after all and her father was just a werewolf… still human.

So when she went to the hospital to check on her father and learned that Dr. Fell had given him vampire blood to speed up his healing because he had a fatal wound, she knew her father would be furious. She had been right and Meredith told her that he had already checked himself out. She tried calling him but there was no answer so she decided to track him down. She followed his scent and found him in a storage room with a knife through his chest. She stood there in shock and disbelief but not hearing his heartbeat confirmed it so she rushed to him and pulled the knife out. Remembering the doctor had given him vampire blood gave her a little bit of hope so she ran to Meredith to see whose blood she had given him. Hearing it was Damon's blood made her hope plummet; not knowing if Elena's blood would finish the transition still or if he would even wake up for it at all.

She picked him up and flashed him to her home, calling her mom when she had him placed on the couch. She didn't want him to die and it was everything she could do to hold back letting her fear and grief turn her into a wolf. When her mom got there she told her to watch him because there was only one person that could possibly answer her questions and she hated that she would have to go to Klaus. Her mom told her that her father wouldn't turn into a vampire because he hated the idea too much, but she wanted to ask anyway in case he changed his mind. So she told Liz to keep him comfortable if he woke up until she got back. Flashing to the still unfinished mansion she heard the beginning of a fight, but opened the door anyway; seeing Klaus pin Stefan against a wall and threatening him.

 _"Just a quick question and then you can carry on fighting each other."_ She spoke with a firm voice and glanced between the two. She waited until they broke apart and were staring at her in wait. _"If a werewolf got accidently turned using a regular vampire's blood… would they still be able to finish transition with Elena's blood?"_ She asked with her phone in her hand. She had already texted Elena to tell her what had happened and her friend was willing to help if she could because Caroline didn't want to lose her father. Klaus looked between her and Stefan before looking to meet her eyes.

 _"Only my blood would work. With or without doppelganger blood, the wolf in question won't survive unless it was my blood that turned them."_

 _"Well that's all I needed to know… carry on."_ She said as she felt the strength in her words failing and she hastily turned to leave, but stopped when she heard Stefan's voice.

 _"So now you're trying to use Elena's blood?"_ Stefan asked and she felt her blood broil at that; he had just used Elena not long ago against Klaus and he hadn't got her permission or anything beforehand.

 _"No… I asked her nicely in case there was even the smallest chance of it working. She was gonna help… but I guess it doesn't matter."_ Caroline countered as she glared at him; she didn't like this version of her friend and she didn't care to let him know it.

 _"The wolf?"_ He pressed and she noticed it was a little strange for him to be asking when he wasn't supposed to care, but she ignored it as she forced herself to answer him.

 _"He hadn't woke up yet when I left… I suppose I'll have to make it quick for him."_

 _"Your father wouldn't have turned anyway."_ She heard Stefan say and her head shot back up to look at her emotionless friend. Seeing a shift in his eyes she figured out why something was different about him and everything clicked in her head; he had his emotions back, but wasn't showing it. She could tell there was another plan in mind and didn't really know what the next step would be with them but at the moment she didn't want to have anything to do with it; focusing on her father.

 _"It would have been his choice… but the only choice now is how fast he wants to die."_ She said and looked between them before turning and walking back to the door, pausing to look back at Stefan. _"And Stefan… when you're ready, I'll help you be you again; Lexi style."_ She said with a small smile before walking out the door and flashing back home. When she got back home she saw her father still hadn't woke back up yet and her mom was pacing around waiting for her daughter to return.

 _"What did you find out?"_

 _"He doesn't have the option to complete transition… it wasn't Klaus' blood in his system so Elena's blood won't work."_ She stated sadly and her mother nodded before pulling Caroline to her. Caroline didn't hold back anymore, letting her sobs come out as she clutched her mother to her. She knew there had been someone out there killing vampires and Alaric had been attacked as well, but she couldn't figure out why her father had been a target; unless it was because he had been helping her and had started helping Tyler.

She pushed her thoughts aside; she could find the one responsible when her father was dead if he didn't know who it was. She still had hope he would wake up and when he did she would ask him if he knew who killed him and she knew he would want to tell her where to find the hidden answers to her questions. She didn't know what to use as a cover story at first, but during her wait she figured she could get Meredith to rip up his discharge papers and make it look like he had died from his injuries in the hospital. It wouldn't change the fact that it was murder but it would make it easier for everyone to carry on and find his killer.

Hearing his gasp for air she brought her head back up and looked at him. She didn't need to tell him he was dying for him to know; her tears would have told him had he not remembered being stabbed. Unfortunately, he hadn't seen who his attacker was and had no idea if it was even male or female; but would have guessed male because of the strength behind the attack. It wasn't a lot to go on, but Caroline figured she would just track the scent later if it was still there. She was going to stay with her father until he wasn't living any longer. She let Elena know her blood wouldn't help him and declined her friend's offer to come over and help her say goodbye; she knew her father would want it to be just them there.

 _"Caroline… there are things you'll need to know."_ Bill rasped in pain as he held on to his daughter's hand. It wouldn't take long for him to die since he wasn't just a human; turning a wolf gave less time to transition _. "The journal is two cells down from my lock-up. Not the place I turned with Tyler but our place. You'll have to find the book because I think you need more time before you know. The cell is full and it's hidden inside it somewhere."_

 _"Why won't you tell me where it is?"_ She asked since she couldn't figure what he was keeping from her or why.

 _"Because you aren't ready to know everything just yet… this is my last gift to you. I'm giving you time before you have to face the responsibilities ahead of you. I didn't think you would know for at least another 20 or 30 years. Everything will change for you…"_

 _"Everything's already changed…"_ She began but he forced himself to continue as he cut her off.

 _"It'll change more… trust me. But you're the last of my line… there's no one else to carry the load."_

 _"I don't want you to die Daddy."_ Caroline whispered even though she knew there wasn't another choice; she couldn't stop this.

 _"It's my time…"_

 _"You should have had more! This is all my fault… if I hadn't got turned then you wouldn't have been in danger…"_ Caroline yelled as she fought against the inner meltdown she was feeling; she didn't want to lose control and disappoint her dad when he was in his last hours.

 _"This isn't your fault… our line has always been in danger; it's a part of who we are. I tried to keep you out of it as long as I could."_

 _"You and Mom are the most important people in my life. How am I supposed to watch you die?"_ She asked seriously because even if she did die she would still never see her mom again unless her mom became a supernatural before dying.

 _"You're just going to have to make yourself understand that this is one thing you can't control. Even if Elena's blood would have worked I wouldn't have drank it; and you would have had to accept that this is my choice for myself. I'm sorry if you ever thought I didn't care about you."_

 _"I know you did… and I know you were only trying to help me. I'm thankful you did everything you did; even if it hurt and at times I thought you hated me."_ Caroline spoke her thoughts and saw his face twist up a little in sadness; she knew he hadn't wanted her to think he hated her, but there WERE times she couldn't help but think it.

 _"I never hated you… you just needed to be ready. The only way to ensure that you were was to hurt you; even if it meant making you hate me."_

 _"I don't hate you Daddy… I never did."_ She said as the tears slipped down her cheeks and her father's eyes started bleeding. She knew it would be soon; she just figured it would last longer than the short amount of time it had been. She heard her mother calling Meredith at the hospital to inform her of the situation and to let her know how they would cover it up. Dr. Fell told them to bring him in so when he died so it wouldn't take much compulsion to keep to the story. So Liz repeated everything to Caroline and Bill before getting in her cruiser to start driving there while Caroline flashed him there and led him through the empty hallways to where Meredith wanted him placed.

Meredith offered to speed up his death so he wouldn't be in pain and Caroline wouldn't have to kill him, but he refused. Another hour passed as blood kept pouring from his eyes and had begun to seep from his nose and ears; his skin becoming paler and his breathing becoming more and more labored. Liz and Caroline sat with him the whole time, occasionally asking if he wanted something and he would say no, but otherwise they stayed silent; just processing that Bill was actually on his deathbed. Meredith eventually came back in, having taken a break from her normal patients to check on him, and saw how much he had deteriorated; looking to Liz and Caroline and letting them know she would stay with them. When Bill started shaking violently and it was hard for him to get any air from the blood that had filled his lungs Caroline had to move to the bed and help keep him in the bed instead of lunging at Liz and Meredith.

It didn't take long for him to lose his fight as he fell back against the pillow, now sweating blood, as his shaking died down to look as if he was just shivering and he closed his eyes in preparation. Caroline kept wiping the blood away from him where it would come out to keep from crying, but couldn't help the tears that crept down her cheek. When his movements ceased she heard his breathing stop altogether and stopped moving. She looked back to her mother to let her know he was gone before moving away from the bed and letting Meredith take over. She barely felt her mother's arms around her before she fell to the ground as the sobs wracked her body.

A couple hours later Liz finally got her to get off the floor since her father's body had already been moved to the morgue. She didn't bother flashing home and rode with her mother in the police cruiser. She briefly heard that her father's death would be part of the murder investigations, but she was determined to find out who it was herself and they would know pain before she let the justice system have him/her. They didn't speak when they entered the house and went about their own tasks; her mother sorting through paperwork and Caroline going to take a shower.

She felt numb as the water rushed over her and her mind played over everything again and again. The water had long been cold before she got out and put on her clothes. She only stopped to tell her mom she was going out before she ran out of the house and flashed back to the hospital. She went to the room she had found her father in and tried to pick up on the scent closest to where she had found her father, but there were too many different scents to pick out a specific one. She went to the morgue to see her father again, breathing the air around him in hope of the attacker's scent being on him, but once again it wasn't there. She couldn't figure out how someone had managed to kill her father and not leave their scent behind; even other wolves, vampires and hybrids had their own scents. Not having any luck she left to go visit the cell her father had told her about.

Looking in the room she felt discouraged slightly at the amount of books, boxes, and other items were stacked from floor to ceiling, from one end of the cell to the other. She knew it would take her a long time to sort through everything so she left to wait until things settled down a little to begin. Her mother was asleep when she got home so she went to her room to toss and turn the rest of the night as sleep evaded her. She didn't bother going to school the next day since she knew her mother had called the school before she left for work. So she spent the day walking through the forest before going back to her father's cell to start sorting through the beginning of the piles. She didn't find anything so she went home to prepare for Bill's funeral the next day.

 ** _Next Day…_**

Caroline sat in the first row between her father's boyfriend and her mother wearing a modest looking black dress and her black strapped heels. The funeral was a little different to ones she had been to before as she stared numbly at the closed casket in front of them with a picture of her father on display in front of it. She knew her friends were in the row behind her from her hybrid hearing but she hadn't turned to look at them once. She listened on as Reverend Young spoke of Bill before opening the floor for everyone else to express their thoughts. She didn't listen as everyone took their turns while she gripped the paper she had in her hands that she was supposed to read from; she had spent most of that morning trying to come up with a speech. The only thing that that broke her out of her trance was when her mother started to speak.

 _"Bill and I didn't have much in common… we had our share of arguments during our marriage, and even a few after our divorce. But the one thing we had in common was our daughter and no matter how frustrated I could ever get with him, I would always remember he gave me the best part of my life. I hate that he was taken from everyone he cared about that cared about him. And even through our differences I still cared about him because he was still a good man… and a good father. I was happy to see him moving on with his life after our relationship ended; he deserved to be with someone that made him happy. And I was even happier to see him still be there for our daughter and everyone else that asked him for help. He was a great man… and none of us could ever forget him. Thank you."_

When her mother finished speaking she knew it was her turn and stiffened in her seat. She looked down at the speech in her hand and knew it wouldn't ever say what she really felt. She had tossed and turned all night thinking about how it was her fault he was in that casket today instead of home with Steven. Bracing herself she stood to walk up to the podium without looking at anyone until she got to her place. She looked between the speech she had written and her father's picture before ripping it up and taking in a breath. She looked up to see her mother's worried face, her friend's supportive glances, and Tyler's regretful looking face.

 _"My mom was right… Dad was a great man. He was good at so many things… but he loved to help people. He thought that no matter what the problem was a person could set their mind to overcome it. He helped me become who I am today; I don't know what I would have become without him. He came here to see me… because no matter how much I've grown I still needed his help; I needed him. If I hadn't asked him to come see me he would be at home right now… but he's not."_ She said as she bit her lip and shook her head to keep herself composed. Feeling the tears in her eyes she held them back and looked up again around the room to see how much everyone's looks had changed before dropping her head back down. _"I wish I could have been stronger… I wouldn't have asked him to come here. Then someone wouldn't have killed him. And there's nothing I can do to change it now… he's just gone. I'm just grateful that I could tell him how much I loved him the last time I saw him."_ She finished and stepped down. Passing up her seat she walked down the church aisle and walked outside so no one could watch her break down.

She made it to the tree line behind the church before her knees hit the ground and the first sob escaped. She knew her mother had explained the truth to her friends and Matt had told Tyler so he wouldn't think he was the one to kill him, so she figured they would let her have her time to grieve alone. Looking behind her she noticed she was right when she didn't see anyone following her. A couple minutes later she heard a whooshing sound and looked up expecting to see Tyler or Matt but saw Stefan crouching down in front of her and Damon standing close behind. Neither said anything until she had forced herself to stand back up.

 _"Elena sent a text… figured you would need a shoulder since they can't really leave the service. We brought 4 shoulders for ya."_ Damon said and she gave a short crying laugh before standing between them and wrapping her arms around them both. She didn't hold on long, not wanting to give up Stefan's change in emotions or be close to Damon.

 _"Thanks I guess… do either of you have any idea who is killing people?"_ She asked even though she knew they hadn't had any luck figuring out the culprit.

 _"We're working on it… whoever it is isn't leaving a scent behind."_ Damon gave as answer before Caroline moved further away from them as Damon made a short show of wiping his shoulder off.

 _"I noticed that too… I went back to try and track a scent but couldn't pick up on anything but humans. The killer has to be a human…"_ Caroline informed them and she knew she had to be right; she hadn't had a problem tracking so far.

 _"Or they don't linger long enough to leave a scent which means vampire or hybrid because they'd have to be quick."_

 _"It isn't either… I can pick up on either of those scents whether they were in a spot for a second or a day. The only scents besides my dad's and mine were human."_ She gave up so they could see how much she HAD thought about it and tried.

 _"The security footage didn't pick up on it either so the killer would have had to know the camera system."_

 _"Dad said he thought it was a man because of how strong he was. He couldn't fight him off and the attack came out of nowhere."_ She relayed the information her father had managed to give before he had passed, but all it did was make her want to cry again; even on his deathbed he was trying to help.

 _"Keeps your senses open… if you catch anyone with a scent you found in the room let us know. We'll all investigate it; we'll find him."_ Damon finished and looked to Stefan who nodded. She looked at Stefan and gave him a nod before turning to Damon and doing the same. Then she looked behind her towards the church with a frustrated breath. She didn't want to go back in there but she knew she had to. She turned and gave them both a sad smile before motioning she had to go. Stefan stepped forward and handed her a handkerchief so she could clean herself up and she thankfully took it before wiping under her eyes. When they nodded to her she handed it back and turned to walk back in to the service.

She ignored the looks she received when she came back in and took her seat next to her mother. Liz didn't say anything but she placed a hand over Caroline's in her lap. They shared a glance before turning to listen to the reverend finish the service. After it was over they stood to watch the pallbearers carry him out with everyone falling in behind them to place him in the cemetery outside. She had seen the tarp covered mound of dirt when she had been outside but ignored it. Now as she was walking towards it she couldn't ignore it anymore. Once the casket was in position over the grave the preacher said a few prayers and everyone took a turn placing a rose on top of the casket before leaving. Caroline, Liz, and Steven hung back waiting on the grave to be filled in so they could go back, but Liz ended up having to leave and Steven offered to stay with Caroline until she wanted to leave.

When they were finally able to go sit at the grave Steven told her that Bill's death wasn't her fault; despite what she thought. She didn't agree with him but she nodded her head anyway so they wouldn't argue. She heard a throat clear and turned to see Tyler standing a few feet away so she excused herself, letting Steven choose whether he wanted to go or stay. She walked to the parking lot so Steven wouldn't overhear their conversation, with Tyler following right behind her.

 _"I know this isn't the best time to tell you but… I'm going away for a while."_ Tyler stated and she felt the air leave her body in a rush; he really couldn't have picked a worse time to tell her this. She looked behind her at her father's grave and felt a little bit of anger rise as she thought about it all. They had JUST buried her dad and Tyler was now standing in front of her and dumping MORE bad news on her.

 _"Why?"_ She questioned as she kept herself in control and didn't smack him.

 _"I need to be able to break the sire bond without hurting anyone. I'm going to go down to Mason's turning grounds in the Appalachian Mountains."_ He replied and she felt some of her anger die down; at least he didn't want to get anyone killed. Then she realized that Tyler was blaming himself for her dad dying and looked up at him.

 _"You didn't kill him…"_

 _"I might as well have… he came back to help me so I wouldn't hurt you or anyone else; this is my fault."_ Tyler tried to point out and Caroline stood there shaking her head as she brought her arms up to cross over her chest.

 _"I'm the one that asked for his help Tyler… he wouldn't have offered to help you break the sire bond had I not asked him to."_ Caroline countered as she felt the guilt come back at not being able to help Tyler on her own and getting her father involved.

 _"It's not your fault Care…"_

 _"I don't really want to argue right now. How long do you think you'll be gone?"_ Caroline cut him off and pushed her thoughts aside so she could figure out everything later; she needed to talk about Tyler right now.

 _"I don't know. I didn't even manage to turn with your father helping me. I don't know how long it will take to do this by myself."_

 _"I can help you…"_ She offered but saw him shake his head before he interrupted her; and she knew he was right, and he needed to do this for himself on his own if it was ever going to work.

 _"You're needed here. If Klaus goes after any of our friends you're the only chance they have at getting him to stop."_

 _"I hate this… I don't know when I'll see you again, there's a killer on the loose, a crazy hybrid is trying to rule over our friends and use Elena's blood…"_ She ranted as everything came back up on her at once and she struggled to push it back down so she could spend these moments with Tyler; not knowing when she'd see him again, or even if she would.

 _"Klaus' siblings got woke up… and his mother."_

 _"What?!"_ Caroline screamed in shock as her fear rose; one original was bad enough and now they had the rest of them awake.

 _"Yeah… he shouldn't bother any of you for a little while at least. I'd imagine none of them are too happy with being daggered in a coffin."_

 _"Who woke them up?"_ She asked as she tried to not think of beating the hell out of the one responsible; seriously hoping it wasn't Stefan.

 _"Damon undaggered the siblings but Bonnie and her mom opened the coffin with his mother in it from what I heard. Right now he's got his hands full."_

 _"I hope they kill him…"_ She muttered but saw him give a little shake of his head and her hope plummeted back down; now they had more problems on their hands.

 _"Doesn't sound like they were going to… but be careful. Now there are 5 Originals and their mother."_

 _"Maybe they'll kill each other…"_ She continued as she thought it COULD actually be a possibility; Tyler HAD mentioned they weren't happy with Klaus daggering them.

 _"I've got to go… I already said bye to my mom. I didn't tell her where I was going so she couldn't have it compelled out of her. I'll try to call but I don't know if I'll get to with the reception and having to shift."_

 _"Be careful yourself."_ She responded and he nodded to her. She thought he would try to at least hug her before he left but he just flashed away. She walked back to her father's grave to let Steven know she was going before she started walking away. When she was far enough into the forest she flashed home and immediately changed her clothes. When she crashed on top of her bed she felt everything crawl back up; her father was dead, Tyler was gone for who knew how long, there was a killer on the loose, and now there was a whole family of Originals to deal with. She didn't dare ask if things could get worse; not wanting to jinx herself. She was still crying when her mom came home later that night and told her to get some sleep; so she fell asleep crying.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 ** _Klaus POV…_**

His family had all went to bed so he crept out of the house to get some distance from them without them catching on to where he was going. Arriving at the Forbes house he could see the sheriff sitting in the kitchen looking over papers, wiping tears away as she tried to read. He listened closely and detected Caroline's breathing and realized she was asleep. He walked around the house and looked into her window. He could see the tears that had dried on her face and knew she had fallen asleep crying. He couldn't really understand why she was grieving over her father when he had tortured her, but he knew what it was like to want acceptance from a parent that hurt you repeatedly.

Not wanting to bother her but wanting to give his condolences he walked back around to the front door and knocked. When Liz opened the door he saw her turn to glance towards Caroline's room before stepping out on the porch in front of him. He knew the sheriff didn't like him and knew he was dangerous but she was just as strong and fearless as her daughter in that moment. He waited until she had the door closed behind her before he spoke up.

 _"I won't trouble you for too long Sheriff Forbes… I'm just here to offer my condolences."_ He stated honestly since he really didn't want to spend too long there and risk Caroline waking up and throwing a tantrum because he was there.

 _"Why?"_

 _"Caroline is one of my hybrids and her father was a werewolf. Consider it one of my duties to make sure the matter is handled accordingly."_ He answered as he kept the fact he was interested in Caroline from showing on the outside.

 _"It's under investigation… my deputies and I will handle it."_

 _"I wasn't aware she was asking about Elena's blood because of her father. Stefan pointed it out but I should have figured it out easily; since she only knows 2 wolves and one is already a hybrid. Do you know what happened?"_ He asked since he had heard someone was going around and committing murders, but he hadn't put much thought in it until Caroline's father was murdered.

 _"There was an accident and his wounds were pretty serious so the doctor used vampire blood to heal him. My husband didn't approve of course and got himself discharged. He didn't make it far before he was killed. Caroline had gone to check on him and found him. She brought him home and I stayed with him while she went to ask you if there was a way to save him. When she came back we talked to him until he started to deteriorate and Caroline sped him to the hospital. She had to hold him down right before he died so he didn't kill me or the doctor. I've never seen anything like that in my life… there was just so much blood. I don't know how she resisted all of the blood… she was the one trying to keep the blood wiped off. She's blaming herself right now…"_ The sheriff rambled on and he felt a little sympathy for the woman; the man may have been her ex-husband but they still had a daughter together so the woman had to be feeling something from it. Hearing her say Caroline had to hold him down to keep from killing anyone made it worse; he had hurt her repeatedly and in the end she had made sure he hadn't hurt anyone else.

 _"Why would she blame herself? It sounds like she did all that she could for him."_ He asked curiously since he couldn't figure out why she was blaming herself; Caroline had done more than he would have done.

 _"She asked him to come here. She thinks if she hadn't asked him here he wouldn't have gotten killed."_

 _"Any leads on who the killer might be?"_ He asked somewhat again since she hadn't given a clear answer before.

 _"It's a human. Caroline said the only supernatural scents present were hers and Bill's. She tried to see if she could pin the scent to a specific person but it wasn't strong enough for her to get. Damon even went to try and pick up on it for me because I thought with him being older he might be able to pick up on something she missed but he couldn't even pick up that it was a human."_

 _"Damon may be older but Caroline is a hybrid. Her senses are sharper than his despite his age. Besides my family and myself she's the strongest person in this town."_ Klaus explained and watched Liz take in that little fact; she probably hadn't thought of things that way before, even though he was sure Caroline would have filled her in on their discussion.

 _"Like I said… if it's a human killing then it falls to me and my deputies; we'll handle it."_

 _"I'm sure your daughter won't like being told to sit out of the investigation. You're going to need someone that can track…"_ He began but the woman cut him off; he couldn't understand why everyone felt the need to do that. He couldn't help but wonder how many generations it had taken to have manners taken out, but he would likely be checking into that.

 _"I won't stop her from helping find her father's killer… I just worry about what happens if she finds them."_

 _"With the control your daughter has I'd say she'll have her fun before handing the person over; if she hands them over."_ Klaus stated honestly since he knew Caroline was a very loyal person; and killing someone she was loyal to would push her "control" a bit too far.

 _"She won't kill anyone… I know my daughter…"_

 _"And how is your daughter handling the situation?"_ He asked before he could help himself; he didn't want to show he had wanted to check up on her sooner or at all, but it slipped.

 _"She's mourning like any other teenager would with the death of a parent. But she wouldn't go against her father's wishes for her to exact revenge for him. The person responsible will pay for their actions… but if they die it won't be by her hand."_ Liz explained confident in her theory about what Caroline would do. Klaus looked at her in doubt knowing vengeance could get carried away and the tiniest amount of losing control would be all it took to get that way.

 _"She has your personality… she may be a wolf like her father, but she's a lot like you from what I've observed of the two of you."_ He threw in not knowing what else he should say; Liz obviously didn't want to believe that Caroline would kill someone.

 _"Please just leave her alone… she has enough going on without you telling her how to live her life."_

 _"I want you to consider something Sheriff… I could have taken her from you and her father and kept her locked up until I found a way to keep her under control but I haven't; nor do I wish to. She embraces being a wolf but she's not one for following the customs much."_ Klaus informed Liz as he tried to get her to see that he could have been a million times worse than he had been; and Caroline had been given the most freedom of any of his hybrids.

 _"I've heard why you want her to meet alphas… she's not interested."_

 _"She has time to come to terms with the idea but one day she'll have to follow it…"_ Klaus countered as he once again covered up that he didn't care if she met them or not because he wanted her.

 _"No she won't. I would never make her be with someone she didn't want to be with… and I wouldn't make her leave someone she wants to be with. She wants to be with Tyler; alpha or not. She just turned 18… she's nowhere near ready for making a decision like that one."_ Liz interrupted him and explained the thoughts behind the little blonde spitfire that had been plaguing his mind.

 _"She cannot defy customs that have been practiced for centuries…"_ He tried again with a different approach; he knew the sheriff wasn't a wolf, but she would have to accept the fact that her daughter was, and that Caroline would have to one day follow the customs.

 _"This is a different era and it's her choice; wolf customs or not. She was raised human… she's only known about being a wolf for a couple years and if she chooses to go with her heart instead of following rules I'll support her; she knows this."_

 _"A wolf like your daughter is rare…"_ He added but she cut him off yet AGAIN; if Caroline wasn't important he would have already shut the woman up, or at least make her stop interrupting him.

 _"You don't have to tell me my daughter is special… she's always stood apart from others in my mind. I didn't know she was a wolf until long after her father triggered the gene. It was hard to understand at first but I wouldn't change anything about her."_

 _"Did her father tell you anything about her? That she's another color because of her station with the wolf community? What about the fact that being the first alpha female in her line gives her command over other wolves; alphas included?"_ Klaus countered as he began showing her just how much Caroline would have to learn about wolves, and how different she REALLY was than the others; except for him.

 _"I don't know much about wolves… I'll give you that. She knew about being able to tell another wolf a command, but I don't know if she knows about commanding another alpha. She knows she's a different color from any wolf she's seen before besides her father, but she doesn't know what color means what. Her father left what she needed to know for her to find."_

 _"Let me tell you a little story… it takes place a few centuries ago. Wolves used to be the dominating species in this country… packs fought against each other for power. During those fights the lesser wolves tried to take out what I would call the elite families; the first ones. Did you know a wolf can only be white in color if they are a direct descendent of one of those 3 white wolf bloodlines?"_ Klaus told her and watched as the shock took hold of her; it would be up to him now to guide Caroline if she didn't find what her father left her. Caroline was a royal wolf by blood like him; descended from the first wolves ever created and it made her more powerful, but also put her in more danger. Of course he wouldn't tell her mother the full detail regarding her daughter's station unless he had to.

 _"What?"_

 _"Caroline would have to be a direct descendant to be white like she is. There are 6 other elite bloodlines besides the white wolves, with half of them being grey and the other half being tan. I searched through the wolf histories after I learned I was a wolf. Imagine my surprise when I learned I belonged to one myself. I had only turned once but it was long enough to see that my fur was grey. And all 9 of the royal bloodlines are alpha lines. There are black-furred alpha lines but they aren't part of the elite bloodlines. The 9 elite lines descend from the first werewolves that existed; a group of people that lived in the same village cursed by a witch."_ Klaus explained more thoroughly as he paid attention to his surroundings; no one besides Liz needed to know about this for now. When Caroline learned the truth he would decide whether or not someone else should know, but he doubted he could trust anyone with Caroline's safety besides himself.

 _"I'm going to need a minute to process this…"_

 _"You can see why I insist she does as she's told. The customs she refuses to follow were written by her ancestors and they're bound by blood."_ He stated matter-of-factly as he hoped the woman would finally see reason and perhaps make Caroline understand all of this.

 _"Don't make her do this…"_

 _"She has her own free choice between alphas; they don't get to choose her."_ He countered so she would see that none of the other alphas would be able to force Caroline's hand; he was the only one she wouldn't be able to control.

 _"So does you both belonging to elite lines mean you're related somehow?"_

 _"No… if we were we'd be the same color. You understand that with elite bloodlines it means there's only a chance to have up to 9 wolves at a time walking the earth a color other than black? Well not anymore since a couple of bloodlines no longer exist. She's the only white-furred bloodline left; I thought it had died completely but she's here."_

 _"What would that mean for her?"_

 _"It means if someone was to figure out just how special she is they could try to challenge her. They'd lose of course but she'd still have to fight. You shouldn't have much to worry about… I searched the world destroying information on the bloodlines to protect the bloodlines over the centuries. Only someone centuries old would know about all of this."_ Klaus replied and could see it gave her mother a little bit of comfort knowing that most of the information regarding her daughter was gone.

 _"So why tell me? I'm not a wolf…"_

 _"Because your daughter is one and she's going to need to know this information."_

 _"Did you know this when you turned her?"_

 _"I only knew she was an alpha female of the Forbes line; I didn't know she was the first alpha female or that the Forbes line was a elite line. Somewhere along the line one of her ancestors had to start using another name to protect future generations and hide them. So, Forbes isn't the original name to her line."_

 _"What is it?"_

 _"I wouldn't know for sure… like I said I destroyed all the information I could over the centuries."_

 _"Are you trying to protect her from being found?"_

 _"She doesn't need me to protect her…"_

 _"She's the last of her line… so turning her ended one of the elite bloodlines. Does that mean you're in trouble?"_

 _"No it doesn't. Making her a hybrid introduced immortality to her line. And since it was also elite blood that turned her it means there has to be some kind of truce between she and I. The 9 elite bloodlines took an oath centuries before I was even born to where there was peace between them. She IS however the only elite blood I've turned. As long as she doesn't shift in front of the other hybrids they won't question the difference. If she does I'll make up something to cover everything up. The tales of elite wolves disappeared a long time ago so the longer she remains unknown the more time she has to herself."_

 _"She isn't going to like this… all she ever wanted was a normal life."_ Liz stated and Klaus felt a little pang of sympathy; he could tell she wasn't lying. But he wouldn't be lying about her not ever having a normal life; even if she hadn't been a wolf at all she was still friends with the doppelganger and she would have likely become a vampire or died because of it.

 _"She was never going to have a normal life. In other words... your daughter is of royal wolf blood... unless you'd rather stick to calling it an elite bloodline to hide the royalty part."_

 _"I guess a lot of things make sense now… I should have known something was different when Bill was so worried about her triggering the wolf gene. Or when we found out I was pregnant with her…"_

 _"It's a big responsibility. She needs to find an alpha that she'll be with that can do what needs to be done. When it comes down to a fight it's the royal blood that has to survive it; especially since she's the only white wolf left. There are only 2 of the tan and 2 of the grey wolf lines left. That leaves 5 royal lines with Caroline being the last white wolf and I'm the last of 1 of the 2 grey ones. My stepfather slaughtered all the wolves in the village close to our home; including my real father. So other than Caroline and myself there are 3 royal lines out there somewhere."_

 _"Are you going to hunt them down so you can turn them too?"_

 _"No… 2 out of 5 elite bloodlines being hybrids are enough. I would imagine the other 3 bloodlines go by different names now too since Caroline is a Forbes and I have my step-father's name. You can guess why it's wise to remain hidden."_

 _"The wars for power could start again?"_

 _"If anyone figured out the truth they could… but you can trust I would kill to stop that from happening."_

 _"I still don't like you… at all. But… I won't say anything about what you've told me and I'll tell Caroline what you've told me when I think she's ready; she won't repeat it. She won't want to believe it… and she won't like it one bit…"_

 _"I could always inform her…"_

 _"Not a good idea. She doesn't like you, wants nothing to do with you, and doesn't believe a word out of your mouth. I can't say I blame her, but like I said, I'll tell her when I think she's ready to hear it. She needs to mourn and go through everything her father left her. When she's done that she should be ready to know unless her father knew and left it behind for her to read."_

 _"Mind if I take a look?"_ He asked as he thought about what all kinds of information he could learn; especially how her ancestors had made it look like her line was completely died out for centuries and how he hadn't figured this all out when he had met Forbes wolves over the years.

 _"I don't know where the information is… her father told her where to start looking; she has to find it."_

 _"You're sure she hasn't found it yet?"_

 _"I'm sure… she'd show me or tell me if she had. I don't really think she's had time to look yet."_

 _"When she does find everything she needs to look it over and destroy it; it's not safe for her to keep information lying around."_ Klaus insisted; if he couldn't see the information he needed to be sure it still got destroyed so no one else would find anything out.

 _"She already planned on doing that… her father told her not to hold on to it. What I can't figure out is why you're intent on watching her so closely."_

 _"She's a young alpha female, untrained, unable to be controlled by anyone, and the last of a royal bloodline. Can you honestly tell me that combination isn't a dangerous situation?"_ He asked as he deflected again from telling her that Caroline had gotten his interests on her.

 _"So why do YOU want involved? What is it you want? I can't help but feel like you're leaving things out that would explain how interfering in her life would benefit you."_

 _"Is it really so hard to believe I wish to help her?"_ He asked as he thought that she would say yes was unsettling. He couldn't kill Caroline, nor did he want to, and he didn't see a downside for any of them if he DID help her.

 _"Yes actually it is…"_

 _"Still true…"_ He cut in, but she didn't let him finish.

 _"If you really wanted to help her you'd leave her alone and stop going after the people she cares about."_

 _"At the current moment I have no plans against her friends; aside from acquiring Elena's blood for making hybrids. But if they move against me I will retaliate."_

 _"You do realize that most of them are just kids, right? Stefan and Damon are the only ones that aren't and they're protecting the ones that are."_

 _"This is why they aren't locked up somewhere where only I would know where. They're free to live their lives as long as I get the blood to make my hybrids; meaning Elena doesn't die or become a vampire."_ Klaus countered her argument and he knew that it wasn't the whole truth; he didn't want to be constantly bothered by having to upkeep all of them when he had his hadn't full with his family and the other hybrids.

 _"That's not living…"_

 _"Call it what you wish… but it doesn't change anything. And these 'kids' are trying to fight against me so when I retaliate it's because they need to learn a lesson. They won't win against me… they might as well accept that."_

 _"And I know my daughter… she'll side against you every time you fight them. If you two aren't supposed to be enemies you might want to rethink your game plan. You want her alive… but she'd put her life at risk to protect any of them."_

 _"And you'd let her?"_ He asked incredulously; he couldn't believe she wouldn't stop her daughter from risking her life over her little group of friends.

 _"I can't very well stop her anymore… I'm human; I'd do what I could to protect her but I wouldn't last very long. She'll do what she thinks is right."_

 _"I understand you want what's best for your daughter… it's best she doesn't put her life at risk."_ Klaus tried again to reason with her when he realized she had a point; with Liz being a human she really couldn't stop Caroline from doing anything physically, but she underestimated the mental and emotional effect she would hold on her daughter.

 _"Right now you're the only risk to her life."_ Liz stated and Klaus knew there wasn't any more reasoning he could do with her. It was clear Caroline got most of her traits from her mother; and it would only put her in danger. He looked at human in front of him; it was strange to know she had given birth to a royal wolf when she was just a normal human being. Not many royal wolves had any human blood in them and mixing with lesser wolves wasn't always ideal (yet it was necessary to continue bloodlines), yet Caroline had a human mother.

 _"One day you might not think that… and it'll be someone besides me that will put her life on the line."_ He answered and kept his eyes on hers to show he was being honest. _"Again… my condolences. Please pass them along to Caroline when she wakes up. If you need help tracking down the killer you can send Caroline. I wouldn't recommend a human show up at my house until I can make sure my family knows who they should leave alone and alive. They're quite upset with me and until they settle themselves I would hate for there to be an accident."_

 _"Understood but if you want the council to stay off your back they'll have to keep from killing anyone."_

 _"The council isn't capable of killing my family or myself seeing as the weapon that could kill us was used on our father. I need the council to stay clear of the other supernaturals in town; as well as my hybrids once they return."_

 _"Then they can't kill anyone; that's the condition."_

 _"I'll see that it's taken care off. If there are any accidents I'll dispose of them so doesn't create a problem."_

 _"If that's all there is I'd like for you to leave now. I'm sure you understand the day we've had in this house and I'd really like to get some sleep before work tomorrow."_

 _"Of course; don't forget everything I've said. I know we haven't been overheard or seen so keep what you've learned between you and Caroline."_

 _"I told you I'll tell her when she's had a little time to look through what her father left behind and she's had time to grieve. I'm not dumping all of that on her right now."_

 _"The sooner she knows the better it will be for her. Have yourself a good night Sheriff."_ Klaus finished and she nodded before stepping back inside. He waited until he heard the door lock before he flashed away. He didn't really feel like returning home so he went to see if Tyler was awake. Slipping inside he saw Tyler's mother was inside sleeping, but Tyler wasn't in the house. He thought it was suspicious so he entered the pup's room to see a few empty hangers and drawers. He knew Carol was on vervain so he couldn't find out where Tyler was from her without her knowing about it, but had no idea where the mutt would run off to.

He flashed out and to the vampire Matt's house to see if he had gone there but only detected the quarterback inside. Not finding him anywhere in town or on the Lockwood property he called one of the hybrids he had out of town to see if Tyler had went there, but he hadn't. It couldn't be a coincidence that Caroline's father was killed and Tyler left town the same day he was buried. He thought over the conversation he had with Liz and remembered that Caroline's father had been given vampire blood because of an accident. His mind quickly came up with a theory he wasn't too happy with. After Tyler bit Matt they probably called her father to intervene in any future associations with the mutt. Knowing Tyler had already bitten his so called best friend, it wouldn't take much for him to attack Caroline's father; especially if her father had attempted to forcefully separate the couple.

If his theory was correct it would cause a rift between Caroline and Tyler. Their break-up would be good for him in one way, but if it caused the rest of their friends to turn against Tyler he wouldn't have him as leverage anymore and the mutt would be useless. He would have to think of a way to figure out what had happened exactly or he could have another problem on his hands before he would know what to expect. Caroline would no doubt find a way to blame him for her father dying, even if he wasn't the one that had killed him; likely blaming the sire bond he had over Tyler. With nothing else to do he flashed home to work his stress out in his studio so he could eventually find sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Klaus watched as his siblings were fitted for their clothes the final time for the ball his family was throwing the next night in boredom. They each took their turn in talking about him daggering them and complaining about everything. He wasn't amused with them moods considering he had daggered them at times to protect them from their father, but there were times he had daggered them for trying to leave; they were supposed to be a family. Finding an excuse to get away from them he didn't expect his mother to pull him aside; and he especially didn't expect to hear her ask who he would ask to be a date to the ball. That was one thing he hadn't really thought was necessary considering he didn't tolerate many people and everyone was clear on their dislike for him; but hearing his mother ask got his mind considering it.

He made a quick excuse to leave and went to his room to debate his options; coming up short again. Then he changed tactics; the lady in question didn't have to like him to accept an invitation. He had a few hybrids that would jump at the chance to show up by the alpha's side but only one of them caught his interests; only one of them was important enough to consider. If his mother was serious about being a family then maybe she could get Caroline to be more cooperative; maybe ask the spirits to find the killer on the loose or tell her something about her family line. Caroline was a royal wolf, whether she knew or not, and as a royal wolf himself he was in the perfect position to teach her everything she would need to know.

Aside from all the wolf business she caught his attention anyway; her being the reason he paused in the hallway before revealing himself to her and Tyler. She was beautiful, strong, smart from what had gathered, and just full of life; and he craved the loyalty she gave to her friends. She was exquisite in his mind; he almost hated that he would be introducing her to other alphas, even though he was an option for her if she even realized it. He hadn't made his interests too clear yet; not wanting the mutt in the way or anyone to try and use her against him. Maybe it was time to step in a little more and try to persuade her towards him.

With that thought in mind he pulled out the file he had on her; detailing everything on her from the school and all the events she participated in. He found the most recent measurements recorded for her and saw it hadn't been noted too long before he had turned her so he wrote them down. He dug through all the gowns in the house his family and he had collected over the years until he found one he liked and thought she would look stunning in. He looked at the size and was glad it was the same size she needed but he wanted to be sure it would be custom fitted so he took the dress downstairs to have one of the tailors make adjustments where they were needed.

It didn't take long before the dress was finished so he folded it up and placed it in a box, wrapping yet another ribbon around it and looking for one of his family's invitation cards. He scribbled a little note down with a smirk before tucking the invitation under a piece of ribbon. Noticing his siblings still occupied he slipped out of the house with the box in hand. Flashing to make sure she would have time to prepare better he stopped when he was close to her house. When he walked up to her door he heard her talking on the phone. From what she was saying he could tell she was leaving the mutt a voicemail so he put the package down in front of the door, knocked, and flashed away before she would see him; hiding close enough to watch her but not be seen.

He saw her look around before seeing his package and picking it up to take inside. Sneaking closer to the house he smirked as he watched her dump the box on her bed and pull the invitation out. She looked at it confused until she flipped it over and saw his note. He nearly chuckled when he saw her get frustrated and say "seriously" as she clutched at the paper before tossing it on the bed next to the box. He saw the curiosity get the best of her as she lifted the lid and shock take over as she gazed at the folded dress in front of her. But when she closed the lid back down and stepped back away from it like it was a bomb he didn't know whether or not she'd actually show. He was about to leave before he saw her begin pacing and pushing her hands through her hair nervously.

He barely had time to react before he saw her flash out of her room and he heard the back door to her house close. He stayed far enough behind her she wouldn't catch him to see where she would run to as she darted through the woods. When she was nearly at the town limits she reached the old town ruins and froze. He ducked behind a tree and remained silent as he heard her ask "who's there" and her breathing picked up; he should have remembered her father had just been killed and the killer was still on the loose sooner. It made sense she was extra cautious at the time but it didn't help him to figure out where exactly she was going.

He figured wherever she was headed to was important because she flashed back towards town full speed. He didn't follow her this time and when he was sure she was far away from him he walked further into the ruins. He picked up on two different wolf scents; one being Caroline and the other he would assume was her father's since it wasn't Tyler's. He tried to follow them but they were all over the place. He realized that the scents were strong and scattered because Caroline and her father purposely made them that way; likely to confuse others from finding the right trail.

He decided to not dwell too long in case Caroline came back, but planned to try and catch her coming there again; he would make sure he wasn't detected the next time. He flashed back home to finish overseeing the preparations for the following night as he kept wondering whether his date would show up or not. Ester made sure to have everyone gathered before she announced she wanted all of the local supernaturals invited so they could being working on an arrangement for peace between them all; and she didn't want any fighting or killing at the ball so they were to be on their best behavior. When they all adjourned to their rooms Klaus kept thinking how interesting the next day would be; with his mother requiring all the local supernaturals to be present it meant his date would have to show.

 ** _Next Day (Caroline POV)…_**

Caroline was looking through her closet trying to find anything besides the gown that was on her bed, still placed in the box. She hadn't wanted to go and was determined to just stay home until Elena had called her and told her all of them were going; and that Ester was requiring the supernaturals of Mystic Falls to be present. So she would go and make sure her friends were safe; maybe she could convince Klaus to let Tyler go so he could come home. Still not finding anything that would be appropriate she huffed and slowly turned towards the bed; she would have to wear the gown Klaus gave her and she inwardly grimaced.

Sitting down in front of her mirror she quickly pulled her hair up in something quick but fancy, and touched up her make-up since everyone in Mystic Falls knew she did NOT come out of the house looking anything but perfect. Once she was sure she looked presentable she pulled the dress out of the box and laid it across her bed so she could change her undergarments and get her shoes on. Once she found her gloves for occasions like tonight she put them next to her clutch purse and picked the dress up; stepping into it and zipping it up. She thought it was beyond creepy that the gown fit perfectly and briefly wondered if he had come back to look through her closet as she slipped on her gloves.

She decided to drive and packed a change of clothes in case things escalated to a fight; she knew the gown wouldn't survive shifting if she needed to. She was glad she had remembered to bring the invitation when she pulled up and she had to show it before she could park. Putting the invitation back into her purse she stepped out of the car and looked around hoping to see any of her friends but she couldn't spot any of them. She texted them and learned where all of them were before she dared walk inside. She tried to get to Elena first since she would have Stefan and Damon both hovering near her, but after spotting her on the far side of the room she had entered, with Klaus halfway across, she wondered if she would make it to her friends before being cut off.

She had barely took a step before she felt his eyes on her and she tried not to look at him, but she heard him excuse himself from the woman that he had been talking to and start walking towards her, so she looked up. She didn't falter in her step and when they were in front of each other and he told her good evening she quickly evaded him saying she needed a drink; and honestly she did if she was going to have to put up with him. She saw Elena and the Salvatore brothers switching their eyes between her and Klaus, who she knew was following close behind, and she went to the bar. After she got her a drink she went to go towards her friends, but Klaus stepped in front of her and she resisted the urge to groan in annoyance.

 _"Come now love… it's rude to ignore the host. And I did ask you to save me a dance…"_

 _"Well… I just got here. It's kind of considered normal to meet and greet other guests when arriving at an event nowadays."_

 _"Allow me to escort you."_

 _"Why do I have the impression you're going to follow me around all night?"_ She asked as she gave her arm over to his extended hand with her lips pressed into a firm line to show her annoyance but he just smirked as he wrapped her arm around his.

 _"Well sweetheart… considering I invited you as my date it's only fair you play nice…"_

 _"I didn't ask you to…"_

 _"You should have figured out by now you're my favorite of my hybrids."_ He said and she froze, not liking where he seemed to be leading to with this conversation. _"A rare find full of surprises; you have no idea the magnitude of which I speak. The first alpha female from your line; a line that was actually thought to have died off centuries ago when the name changed to Forbes."_

 _"What are you talking about?"_ She asked as she rounded on him.

 _"That is a conversation for another time love…"_

 _"Seriously?"_ She asked through grit teeth while again finding herself trying to resist hitting him; noting she hadn't ever felt the need for violence as much as she had before HE came to town.

 _"Don't be cross sweetheart… I'm simply letting you know you're important; and it isn't only because of your wolf heritage."_

 _"If you'll excuse me I need to go see my friends."_ She said as politely as she could before she turned and weaved through the crowd in search of Elena again. She was relieved when she realized he hadn't followed her and quickly ducked behind Stefan and Damon to talk to Elena. _"Why is it I had to come again?"_

 _"Ester wants all the supernatural creatures here… and she wants to talk to me alone."_

 _"And how is that going?"_ Caroline asked as her eyes darted between the Salvatore brothers knowingly; she knew they would likely prevent her from doing just that.

 _"Damon won't let me go to her."_

 _"I don't really blame him on that, but before you say I'm picking his side I say it's your choice."_ Caroline stated with her hands up in temporary surrender; she really didn't want to argue with her friends in the enemy's house.

 _"What was Klaus talking about?"_

 _"He was saying I'm his favorite of the hybrids… which might I say that I don't like the sounds of that; and he's just being creepy and secretive…"_ Caroline threw out since she didn't want to talk about it, but she should have known she would have to go through an inquisition because of it.

 _"Not surprising Care…"_

 _"He invited me as his date 'Lena… trust me; it's creepy."_ Caroline insisted so her friend could see exactly how uncomfortable she was being there.

 _"Matt got invited by Rebekah as a date."_

 _"Oh I soooo don't like how this is playing out."_ Caroline whined as her mind began racing with possible attack scenarios; they couldn't all be there without a damn good reason and she doubted it was because Mama Mikaelson wanted peace.

 _"So what are we going to do about it?"_

 _"Well you are going to decide whether or not you're going to talk to Ester. I'm going to avoid Klaus as much as he'll let me and I'll try to keep an eye on Matt so nothing happens to him. Where's Bonnie?"_

 _"She couldn't make it…"_

 _"What? How did she get out of this?"_ Caroline asked as she felt jealous that Bonnie could avoid the ball but she couldn't.

 _"Bonnie will talk to Ester another time… she wasn't required tonight."_

 _"Do you think something's up? I mean… could we be facing an attack of some kind?"_ She asked in return since she couldn't get her mind to think about anything else.

 _"I don't know… just be careful and keep your eyes open."_

 _"Will do… I'm going to go check on Matt."_ She said as she walked away from Elena, pausing to look back a nod to Stefan and Damon, and carried on as she walked through the rooms. When she saw Rebekah walk away from Matt she nearly jumped for joy at her luck but restrained herself. Matt spotted her and met her halfway across the room.

 _"How you holding up?"_

 _"I'm fine Matt… trying to figure out what is going on. We all got invited here for a reason and I don't like not knowing if we should brace for a fight or not tonight."_ Caroline replied honestly and saw him shift a little in his place.

 _"They aren't allowed to cause problems tonight; their mom is trying to reduce the friction between her kids and us locals."_ Matt explained and lifted his glass to show her he didn't believe it but wasn't going to say anything else about it.

 _"If something happens we need to remember Elena would be the target since she's the doppelganger, but this place is full of humans; there's no way of knowing for sure who they'd go after first."_ Caroline explained so Matt would understand that he would need to get to safety; and the fact that he was an original's date that night could be part of a set-up.

 _"They'd go after all of us that aren't human obviously… it would make it easier to drain everybody here."_

 _"If it comes to a fight I want you to get Elena and get out of here…"_ She began but he cut her off; she didn't want to see any of them get hurt and she knew she was stronger than either of them.

 _"Care…"_

 _"No Matt… the strongest would fight and let's face it Matt… you know I could sooo kick your ass."_ She joked to keep the mood light so they wouldn't be noticed.

 _"No doubt there… but I don't think we need to worry about it too much."_

 _"I'm serious Matt… it's better to be prepared with a plan than not have one and something bad happen."_ She replied seriously and let him know with her face that she was in no way joking.

 _"I know…"_

 _"So just remember what I said if something does happen."_

 _"Alright."_

 _"Thanks Matt."_ She responded and they looked around before going to the bar since they were on alert and needed a drink to soothe their nerves. She couldn't help but feel that she was going to have to look like a full-blown alcoholic just to keep from losing her patience that night; she did not intend to be without a drink.

 _"So… Tyler's really gone?"_

 _"Yeah… he left right after the funeral."_ Caroline answered uneasily since they weren't really in the best place to talk about that right now; especially if Klaus was close by and listening in.

 _"Will he come back?"_

 _"Of course he'll come back Matt… he just needs to work through some things; get back to being him again."_ She answered vaguely with a look so he would know not to go into details about what Tyler would be doing while away.

 _"How long do you think he'll be gone?"_

 _"I don't know but I hope he isn't gone long. And I know that must make me a horrible person to miss him after…"_

 _"You're not a horrible person Care; you couldn't be if you tried."_ Matt stated and she gave him a small smile before her thoughts came back to haunt her; Tyler was just one big complicated topic right now and she felt torn in her feelings regarding him.

 _"But still…"_

 _"No buts… you've done everything you could do for him. He has to do this for himself."_ Matt argued when she tried to explain how she felt terrible for being stuck helpless to help him.

 _"I know…"_

 _"Oh look Nik… I found our dates."_ She heard Rebekah say and rolled her eyes before she turned to see Rebekah and Klaus coming up behind them. She and Matt shared a knowing look before clinking their glasses together and downing the rest of their drinks. _"Matthew, there is a dance coming up that we must participate in. I'm sure my brother would also like his date back as well."_

 _"Our mother is going to greet everybody officially at once before the dance, so we need to gather near the stairs."_ Klaus spoke in an even tone with his eyes on Caroline but she knew he wasn't too happy with her spending time with Matt; and no doubt the silent agreement between them further riled him up.

 _"Lead the way."_ Matt spoke up as he offered his arm for Rebekah in order to break the tension up. Once they stepped away Klaus stepped forward and offered his arm. She grit her teeth together before she reached up to let him have her arm for the second time that night.

 _"I was wondering where you ran off to… you wasn't with the doppelganger."_

 _"She has Stefan and Damon with her; Matt was alone so we got a drink."_ She stated and felt him stiffen slightly before they stopped walking and he released her arm; only to place his hand on her lower back and she had to resist growling at him. She looked towards him to see him smirking and blew out a frustrated breath as she started counting in her head to keep calm. She would have smacked his hand away but their attentions were called to an older woman at the top of the stairs.

The speech didn't last as long as she wished it would have since she had to dance with the hybrid standing next to her. When she saw Ester walking back up the stairs she turned her head back to Klaus letting him see her annoyance as he smirked and held up a hand to lead her to the ballroom. When the dance began she tried to get an eye on Matt since she didn't trust Rebekah, but Klaus pulled her attention back to him.

 _"I'm glad you could make it. I didn't figure you would come."_

 _"Well it was required for the local supernaturals to make an appearance. Aside from that it was either caviar or sympathy casseroles."_ She stated before turning to look back at Matt; she only hoped Rebekah didn't hurt him.

 _"I'm sorry about your father…"_

 _"Don't; seriously."_ Caroline said lowly as she whipped her head back to look at him deadly serious; her dad was one thing she refused to talk about with Klaus.

 _"Very well. On to more mannered subjects; like how ravishing you look in that dress."_

 _"I didn't really have time to shop."_ She excused since she didn't know what else to say; she wasn't going to thank him for being creepy enough to know her measurements.

 _"And the bracelet I gave you; what's your excuse for wearing that?"_

 _"It goes with the dress."_ She answered simply; still trying to make sure Matt was alright. She knew he noticed she kept looking away from him, but she didn't care as long as she made sure her friend was alright. She even took the time to look around for Elena and the Salvatore brothers, but didn't linger on them long; especially with both Stefan and Damon focused on Elena.

 _"You know, you're quite the dancer…"_

 _"Well… I've had training. I happen to be Miss Mystic Falls."_ She said as she still felt the pride of winning against everyone else; Elena included. She thought it must be difficult for him to actually believe that someone like her would know about dancing like she did, but seeing him smirk caused her to think again; maybe he had been trying to bait her.

 _"I know."_ He responded and she looked up at him more to see he was actually telling the truth and he knew. It made her wonder what else he knew about her; and how he knew was size dress she wore, but she wasn't about to ask him that particular question.

 _"It doesn't surprise me that you would know about any of us. I mean… most information is public record; and this is a small town."_ She threw in casually; if he could bait her, she didn't feel guilty about baiting him. She guessed that he could have found her measurements in her records, but then the thought of him looking up information on her was a bit unsettling.

 _"Yes it is, but I know you know it's more than just what anybody could find sweetheart."_

 _"Would that have anything to do with going in people's houses?"_ She asked with a raised eyebrow and he chuckled, dropping his head and she saw his eyes rake over her before looking back up to hers. That made her wonder how many times he HAD been in her house; or even around it to spy on her.

 _"I've only been inside your house to heal the quarterback and to drop off his and your gifts…"_

 _"And what about directly outside my house?"_ She voiced her suspicions and knew he had been when he smirked again. She didn't like the thought that he had been watching her, but she hated that she hadn't picked up on it.

 _"I may have checked up on you a couple times love."_ He answered and she narrowed her eyes at him, but she didn't get time to respond when they had had to change partners, and she nearly jumped for joy when Matt stepped in. She saw Klaus step away from the dance since he wouldn't have any more dance time with her, and Rebekah had to dance with Damon; seeing Elena dancing with Stefan.

She and Matt could both hear Rebekah and Damon talking about them dancing; Damon calling her jealous and Rebekah mentioning she was wearing a dress Klaus gave her. They didn't let it bother them and carried on their own conversation since neither of them could believe they were dates for an Original that night; and weren't thrilled about it, but Matt seemed to be having a better time than she was. He didn't seem to mind Rebekah's company like she did Klaus'; but Rebekah wasn't the one that had killed him like Klaus killed her.

When the dance ended Matt excused himself to go back to Rebekah and Caroline looked around for Elena, but couldn't see her or either Salvatore brother. She saw Klaus talking to one of his brother's and took the opportunity to sneak outside in hopes he would stay inside with his guests. Knowing a human would be cold in the night air she wrapped a shawl around her shoulders and walked over to where she saw a couple horses tied to a carriage. She absolutely loved horses but they hadn't ever really been a fan for her; probably because of the wolf in her. So she stepped closer to them slowly so she wouldn't startle them and watched as their breaths came out fogged from the chill in the air. They didn't seem to mind her presence so she didn't walk away; she just stood still, staring at them with a small smile on her face in victory that they let her as close as she was.

 _"You like horses."_ She heard Klaus comment from behind her but she forced herself to stay calmed and rooted to her spot; not even bothering to turn around.

 _"I'm not talking to you until you tell me the reason you invited me here; the real reason."_ She spoke and watched as he walked around her until they were facing each other a couple feet apart.

 _"I fancy you."_ He said and she rolled her eyes and scoffed, not believing that line for even a second. _"Is that so hard to believe?"_

 _"Yes!"_ She finally admitted when she couldn't figure out WHY he "fancied" her besides her being one of his hybrids, and an alpha female; maybe her mom had been right and he had made a pass at her.

 _"Why? You're beautiful, you're strong, you're full of light; I enjoy you."_

 _"Well I'm spoken for; by Tyler."_ Caroline insisted as she fixed her face back to aggravated while she processed what he had just said; he couldn't really see her that way, it had to be a trick.

 _"And here I thought you two ended things…"_

 _"Yea because of you and your freaky sire bond…"_ She started but realized she kind of let it slip that they were on unofficial break; even though she had no intention of ending things with him.

 _"So you're aren't spoken for."_ He said as he looked at her and she turned her face to look at the horses again. She just wanted to go home at that point, but knew he probably wouldn't let her. _"You know… horses are the opposite of people; they're loyal. My father hunted me for a thousand years and the closest he ever came was the day he killed my favorite horse. He… severed its neck… with a sword; as a warning."_

 _"Did you ever consider sitting down with your father and talking things out?"_ She asked even though she doubted he had, or that his father would have actually listened.

 _"I'm afraid my relationship with my father was a bit more complex than yours."_

 _"Maybe so… but I let my father go with no regrets."_ She summarized, even though she did feel his death was her fault. So she decided to wrap the conversation up quickly and escape back inside. _"And to answer your question… yes, I like horses. But I also like people and they happen to like me so I'll be inside."_ She finished and turned around to make her way back inside; hearing him let out a sigh as she walked away but ignored it. When she walked back inside she saw everyone gathering to make a toast so she tried to leave the room but Stefan gave her a look and she grabbed a flute of champagne that was being offered.

She went to stand my Matt since Rebekah was standing with one of her brothers and he chuckled at seeing her angry face; clearly he understood she was losing her patience and wanted to leave, even though no one else did. She could feel eyes on her as she drank from the flute and didn't bother looking since she knew it was Klaus; obviously he had come back inside right after her and was allowing her a minute of peace before he joined her again. She didn't see Damon anywhere but she glanced back at Stefan to see him focusing on Elena as she talked to Elijah; apparently they had found a way for her to talk to Ester without Damon stopping her and he was probably in one of the rooms upstairs with a broken neck.

She knew Matt couldn't talk to her long so she excused herself and walked over to talk to Stefan. They had a mutual agreement to not have him disclose emotions and he would see her during his free time so she could help him get his blood cravings back under control. He had been doing pretty good in her opinion, but he hadn't thought so. When he had come to town he had fed off of animals, but with all the danger surrounding them and his habit of turning into a ripper, she thought it would be better for him to not go back to animal blood; so she was working with him using blood bags. She knew he had been surprised to see a darker side of Caroline come out when she used the same method her father had used on her when she had turned; but was more surprised when it actually helped. She didn't keep up with torture for long since she had faith in him and knew he could beat his cravings without it. It was a slow process but he was already getting better.

It had surprised him even more when she had wanted to show him her wolf form. She told him that if she could handle breaking all the bones in her body to turn into a wolf, not attack anyone, and have her bloodlust under control being a baby hybrid then he could learn to not get lost in his bloodlust. She knew he was afraid when she came out of the cell in wolf form until she got on her stomach and scooted forward like she had done with her parents. When he had finally bent down and ran a hand over her head she placed her head on his shoulder next to his neck and pulled a paw up to lay on the other side; it had been her first awkward attempt at a hug in wolf form and it had brought the first smile she had seen in months from her friend and he hugged her back. She had flashed back into the cell and turned back, got dressed, and re-emerged from the cell as her normal self to see him actually look normal himself.

So standing inside the enemy's house full of Original vampires didn't sit well with either of them and they were able to silently know it. Caroline made sure to act like she was just conducting shop talk as they discussed murder suspects and he told her he thought it could have been Meredith. She remembered the way Dr. Fell had looked when her father was dying and knew instinctively that she wasn't the killer. Stefan gave her a pointed look to say "looks can be deceiving" before Elena stepped over to them and Caroline excused herself to give them some privacy. When she saw her friend's occupied she planned on making her getaway and starting walking to the door, but stopped in her tracks when Klaus came up in front of her out of nowhere and told her he had something he wanted to show her and to follow him. She followed nervously as he led them up the stairs, glancing back to see if anyone saw her and knew to look for her if she didn't come back, but everyone was occupied so she pushed herself forward until they were stepping into a room that looked like a study.

 _"So… what is it you wanted to show me?"_ She asked as she tried to keep her nervousness from showing; he didn't need to know she was worried about being alone with him in his house.

 _"One of my passions."_ He answered and held his hands out to gesture at the paintings around the room before settling in front of a desk with papers scattered across it. She stepped closer, noticing the papers were drawings, before looking up at the painting in front of them. It was pretty, but she couldn't really understand why he would want to show her an art room.

 _"Impressive. I take it the curators at Louvre aren't on vervain?"_ She asked to have something to say; still not understanding why he was showing her art.

 _"Yea well now that's their mistake."_ He answered and she rolled her eyes while shaking her head to glance down at the bracelet on her wrist.

 _"And what about these?"_ She asked as she tilted her arm towards him to display the bracelet. _"Where'd you steal these from?"_

 _"Well now that's a long story… but rest assured it was worn by a princess almost as beautiful as you."_ He answered and she scoffed and turned her face away again. Releasing a breath she reached down to start looking at the drawings and held one up until she felt confused. She put it back down as she turned back towards him. Some of the papers looked old, but she could tell a couple of them were newer and the pencil marks were definitely recent so she wondered if he had done them.

 _"Wait a second, did… you do these?"_ She asked genuinely curious since all the work she could see was beautiful and she had a hard time imagining Klaus being the one to make them.

 _"Yeah um… actually one of my landscapes is hanging at the Hermitage; not that anyone would notice. Have you been?"_

 _"I've never really been anywhere."_ Caroline admitted as she tried to imagine what type of landscape he had hanging in Russia; it made her realize how pathetic she must sound now that he learned she wasn't well traveled.

 _"I'll take you; wherever you want. Rome… Paris… Tokyo."_ He said and ended with a laugh and she laughed before she decided to bring up Tyler; she didn't want any offers but Tyler's freedom, no matter how tempting seeing the world was.

 _"Oh… wow. Must be really nice to just snap your fingers and get whatever you want."_ She said and looked at him in time to see him in stop laughing and the smile drop from his face. He opened his mouth and nothing came so she decided to push a little further. _"Is that why you collect hybrids? Your own little servant army to take you places… and bring you things?"_

 _"You're making assumptions."_

 _"Then why do you need Tyler? Stop controlling him. Give him his life back."_ She insisted and saw him snap his mouth shut and turn a little as if in thought before looking back up to her; no longer in a good mood.

 _"You know… this has been a fun evening, but I think it's time for you to leave."_

 _"I get it… your father didn't love you so you assume no one else will either. And that's why you compel people, or you sire them, or you try to buy them off."_ She said as she reached her hands up and ripped the bracelet off of her arm and tossed it in the floor in front of him. _"But that's not how it works. You don't connect with people because you don't even try to understand them."_ She concluded and turned to stomp out of the room. He didn't follow her so she assumed he wasn't going to kill her and she made her way back downstairs. She didn't want to stay anymore so she went to collect her purse so she could leave. She couldn't believe he actually thought she would accept any offer from him when he had been terrorizing everyone she cared about, and Tyler was off in the middle of nowhere forcing himself to shift to get out from under his control. Thinking the best way to cool down and keep from letting her anger get the best of her was to sort through the cells she made a plan to go home and change before leaving to search for her answers.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

As she was making her way to her car she heard the sounds of a fight and flashed towards it to see Damon and Kol fighting while Matt was trying to fix a broken arm. She would have attacked Rebekah but she saw the concern on her face for Matt and quickly stepped over to see what had happened. Seeing a small crowd gathering she quickly went to them and compelled them to forget what they saw and to go back inside. Rebekah was trying to see to Matt, even though he was already healing, so she went over and pulled Damon off of the Original she didn't know by name. When they went to start fighting again she stepped in between them and Rebekah dropped her jaw in shock.

 _"Enough! What the hell is going on?! Damon, are you crazy?! He has centuries on you!"_ Caroline exclaimed as she stayed between them with her arms held up, ending with her finger pointing at Damon; Damon looking his usual cocky self with a touch of having lost what sense he had.

 _"Stay out of this Blondie…"_ Damon started as he tried to get around her, but she blocked his advances again with a look of warning; seeing him not back down she lost a little bit of her temper.

 _"Not until someone tells me what the hell is going on!"_ She screamed and she saw the upper deck had filled with the rest of the Original family. Great, she thought as she tried to keep her focus on staying between Damon and the original he had picked a fight with; the rest of the originals stepping in was the last thing she had wanted.

 _"Down darling… it's just a simple misunderstanding."_ She heard the Original say and she glared at him before turning her head back towards Damon and raising her eyebrows wanting an explanation.

 _"Don't give me that look Blondie… Kol over there broke Matt's arm…"_ Damon began but Kol cut him off and it reminded her of an elementary school playground and it made her feel like a teacher breaking up a children's fight.

 _"After you attacked me and pushed me off the balcony down here to continue the fight…"_ Kol spoke up quickly.

 _"Are the two of you 5? You both are really gonna say 'he started it'?"_ She asked and looked between them, finally dropping her arms. _"Alright… first off, Damon you knew better than to start a fight tonight. And you…"_ She spoke as she pointed a finger towards Kol. _"Breaking Matt's arm because Damon is an ass isn't really the best way to go about expressing your dislike; trust me."_ She stated the obvious since she had been dealing with Damon long enough to know the best way to express hatred towards him.

 _"Blondie I'm warning you…"_ Damon began but she whipped her head back to Damon and took a step in his direction

 _"Damon… you do not warn me right now. I have had a shitty week and YOU are NOT helping that right now. I just want to go home but nooo… I'm having to wait so I can keep you from getting yourself killed!"_ She ranted and threw her arms out to emphasize her point; she was saving his ass and she didn't even like him.

 _"Then stay out of it!"_ He yelled back and she wanted to say "gladly" but she couldn't let him get killed if she could help it; she wouldn't do that to Stefan or Elena, as much as Elena tried to deny she liked Damon.

 _"Fine! Tell me how I'm supposed to tell Stefan and Elena you got yourself killed? Tell me how I'm supposed to say that I didn't stop it because you told me to stay out of it?"_ She hollered at him sarcastically. He was testing her patience and she wondered if she would have to snap his neck to get him to back down and avoid a fight; especially with Ester's ruling that there be no fighting during the ball.

 _"Care…"_ Matt spoke up but she pointed a finger at him.

 _"Not now Matt."_ She said and looked at Damon again. When he nodded she breathed in and went to leave but hearing a snap had her looking back and seeing Kol drop to the ground. He looked at her with a sarcastic smile; she didn't warn him that Rebekah was behind him and watched the other blonde snap his neck. _"Great."_ She muttered and looked to Matt. _"You wanna take him home? I think it would be best if he wasn't here when he woke up; and I don't trust myself not to snap his neck again."_ She asked of her friend since she really didn't see herself NOT repeatedly kicking his ass and snapping his neck if she had to handle him.

 _"Sure… um… your eyes are… um…"_ Matt spoke up and saw he looked a little embarrassed, so she was a little confused at what his was talking about.

 _"What?"_ She asked but then she realized what he was referring to and swiftly turned around and forced her anger down so she would be normal when she turned back around. _"I'm sorry if I scared you Matt."_ She stated, having seen her hybrid face and being somewhat scared to look at it herself.

 _"Damon tends to piss everyone off… it's not your fault."_ Matt replied and she nodded with her back still turned so she could get her emotions back in check; Matt was right, Damon did piss everyone off.

 _"I'll load him up for you."_ She mumbled knowing he would hear her and turned back around to crouch down and pick Damon up. She flashed away and dumped Damon in Matt's truck bed and went to go on to her car when she saw Rebekah standing in front of her.

 _"Mother wants to speak with you."_ Rebekah stated and Caroline wondered if Damon's actions would lead to a full out war between her friends and the original family.

 _"I tried to stop him…"_ Caroline started but Rebekah cut her off.

 _"I think that's what she wants to talk to you about."_ Rebekah said with a tilt of her head and Caroline nodded before flashing and following Rebekah to the house, slowing once inside and they walked up the stairs to join the others on the balcony.

 _"Sorry about Damon… he's probably the least stable in our group."_ Caroline told Ester when she was in front of the older woman; she hated being around the whole family by herself, minus the one that had his neck snapped by Damon.

 _"You're not in trouble child… I want to thank you for attempting to break them apart and keeping the scene from spreading to our human guests. I apologize you were caught in the middle because of my children."_ Ester replied and Caroline shrugged her shoulders a little in thought as she watched Ester waiting on her to say something.

 _"Well I didn't know what was going on, but I wasn't going to let Matt or Damon get killed if I could help it."_ Caroline stated tensely since she still didn't know what would happen because of the incident; even if Ester said she wasn't in trouble, she hadn't mentioned anyone else.

 _"You're one of the hybrids my son made, correct?"_

 _"Yes."_ She answered and shot a glare at Klaus. Ester noticed and looked between the two of them. Caroline was still aggravated with said hybrid and wished she could leave; had there not been a fight she would have already been gone and sorting through the cellar.

 _"Niklaus I wish to speak to you and the young lady alone. Elijah, Rebekah, please take Kol inside and put him where he won't be found. Finn I need you to watch over our guests inside. Now I think it would be a good time for Matt to take Damon home."_ Ester spoke and Caroline watched as everyone started doing as she said, except Rebekah. Rebekah stayed still until her brother's and Matt departed before walking next to Caroline again.

 _"Matthew's a good person; I can tell. I'm sorry I got him hurt."_ Rebekah apologized and Caroline had to take a minute to mull over the shock that she had just gotten apologized to by one of the originals; that had to be a first, she thought.

 _"I could tell you were worried for him. Don't hurt him… he's been hurt enough."_ Caroline stated as she stared at the other girl in front of her. She really didn't like the idea of Rebekah taking an interest in Matt because he was her friend and she didn't want to see him hurt, but Matt would have to make his own decision on that.

 _"You really are JUST friends, aren't you?"_ Rebekah asked as if it was something difficult to believe; why couldn't anybody understand that? It's not like it was anything that hadn't happened before, people being friends after they have dated, but then again Rebekah had been locked in a box for a while.

 _"Is it really that hard for everyone to understand?"_ She asked and Rebekah nodded so she continued. _"It's platonic; I can say the love we have towards each other is the love you have for your friends or family. You have siblings so you should understand that at least a little; I don't have siblings so my friends are family."_ Caroline explained and hoped it was the last time she would have to do so; she got really tired of repeating herself.

 _"You're lucky to have that."_ Rebekah stated and Caroline could see the other girl could only barely recognize what she felt.

 _"I know."_ She answered and Rebekah nodded again before going inside like her mother had told her to do.

 _"I watched my children's actions from the other side over the last 1000 years. I saw when you were turned… and I must say I'm rather surprised to see the way you control yourself."_ Ester stated once it was just them and Klaus left on the balcony. Caroline didn't see a point to all of this, but she figured she might as well humor her until she learned what to expect in retaliation from tonight's incident.

 _"I learned it from my father."_ Caroline explained short and to the point.

 _"So much control that Niklaus cannot control you like he does others."_ Ester carried on and Caroline crossed her arms over her chest as she reined her emotions in; mainly anger that this conversation was pretty much a rehash mixed with an interrogation.

 _"He's definitely tried…"_ Caroline thought out loud, but trailed off so she didn't get another fight started.

 _"I'm sure he has. What I want to know is why you intervened on not just your friends' behalves but for ours?"_ Ester asked and Caroline furrowed her eyebrows together. What was she talking about? Had she intervened for the original family? She didn't know what Ester was talking about so she decided to ask.

 _"What do you mean?"_ Caroline asked confusedly.

 _"You didn't want either side to fight the other."_ Ester stated and Caroline had to agree; it would have been bloody and countless innocent people would have died in the process.

 _"There was a house full of humans… I know how Damon is; he wouldn't care what happened to any of them."_ Caroline explained as she fully remembered how Damon usually thought; having been on the side he wished to kill before, and probably was still.

 _"But you do?"_ Ester asked and Caroline didn't like that she felt like she was having to justify herself when she hadn't done anything; hell if anything the woman should let her leave already.

 _"Yeah I do. Plus I don't know the one that got his neck snapped, but if he was willing to go after Matt to get back at Damon I wouldn't have put it past him to cause some bloodshed inside."_ She ranted honestly with her losing her patience more and more.

 _"Kol is still adjusting from having the dagger taken out. He and Rebekah are the ones acting out as children would in a situation where they're angry with a sibling."_

 _"Then maybe they should learn patience."_ Caroline retorted after hearing Ester make it sound less than what it all way; they weren't children acting out, they were vampires trying to create a bloodbath and there was a huge difference.

 _"I hope you don't let time change you… your humanity is so strong; I can sense it overpowering the wolf and vampire in you."_ Ester stated and Caroline looked at her disbelievingly; it hadn't sounded like she was praising her 5 seconds ago when she was excusing her children's actions, but now it seemed as if the woman had been testing her.

 _"I made a promise to my dad that I intend to keep. I'm not changing who I am just because I've changed species."_ Caroline stated matter-of-factly as she unfolded her arms from her chest and let them rest at her sides; she really was beginning to hate being there more than she had thought she would.

 _"Ah yes… I almost forgot; I've been told you're trying to track his killer. What do you intend to do with the person when you find them since you think it's a human?"_ Ester asked and Caroline looked away in thought as she kept reminding herself that she had promised to not make a kill unless it was absolutely necessary; and revenge wouldn't count as necessary to her dad.

 _"I won't kill them… but they'll know every bit of pain my father knew before he died."_ She answered as she clenched her hands into fist and tried to keep her anger down. She inwardly smirked at the ideas running through her head; if Stefan had thought he'd seen her dark side when she was helping him, then she wondered what he would think if he saw her have a little time with her father's killer.

 _"I've tried to look into the situation but the spirits aren't giving any useful information."_ Ester stated and Caroline had to remind herself not to snap at the woman; she already had to pull away from her thoughts of torture so learning that the originals were involved in trying to search for the man wasn't helping. She wanted to find this person on her own and have her time with him or her before she gave them up to the authorities to handle.

 _"Thank you, but I don't need your help."_ Caroline stated to try and stay polite, but also let the woman know she wanted them left out of it.

 _"Niklaus feels obligated since he's your sire and as his mother I looked into for him."_

 _"I'm sure you have your hands full with your children and being back from the dead. I already have help anyway."_ Caroline replied as she thought about how her only real help right now was Stefan and Damon, and they had their hands full with Elena like always; although Matt would likely help her too.

 _"I know you and your friends distrust me but I only wish for peace amongst everyone. You feel burdened with everything that's happened and it's natural to believe otherwise. Would you allow me to try and get a reading from you?"_ Ester asked and Caroline looked at her suspiciously.

 _"A what?"_ Caroline asked as she maintained the distance between them.

 _"A reading will let me use a physical connection with you to allow the spirits to tell me what they will of you."_ Ester explained, but something still didn't feel right about it; she didn't trust Ester and the spirits had made it known countless times their thoughts of vampires.

 _"I thought the spirits didn't like vampires?"_ Caroline asked, hoping it would get her out of having to say yes; it's not like she could fight off all the originals by herself if she refused.

 _"You're not just a vampire are you?"_ Ester asked and Caroline looked around nervously before reaching down to pull her gloves off; not knowing if she needed one or both of them, but her hands would be the only part of her she'd let the woman touch. When Ester grabbed her hands and held them up towards her chest Caroline glanced at Klaus to see him watching the interaction. When Caroline felt her hands released back to her she looked back at Ester. _"They didn't say much. However they did mention you had great strength in you and you were still innocent in their eyes."_

 _"Well… um… I don't think I've been called that before."_ She commented and shook her head as she tried to figure out why the spirits hadn't said much. Either Ester knew more than she was saying and was hiding it, or the spirits were.

 _"It's not just because you haven't made a kill… you don't even have the urge to; you hate the very idea of it. It's how you think and feel that keeps you innocent; the care you give to others."_ Ester explained and Caroline cocked her head as she took in what Ester was saying; although there were more important things to talk about if she was really going to have a conversation with her.

 _"Did they happen to mention anything about my dad?"_ Caroline asked off-handedly, wondering if the spirits had talked to him on the other side.

 _"Only that you'll find what you're looking for; they didn't mention what or when though."_

 _"I already knew that though."_ Caroline stated in disappointment at not learning anything new.

 _"Would you like help looking…"_ Ester began, but Caroline didn't let her finish; this was something she needed and wanted to do on her own.

 _"No I'm supposed to look on my own; I prefer to keep the place to myself anyway."_

 _"That's understandable since I assume it was a place for you and your father only?"_

 _"Yes it is."_ She answered taking note of Esters past tense so she referred to the area in present tense to let it be known it would remain that way since a certain hybrid had moved closer and watched her solely now. She heard the sound of her phone getting a text and looked down at it. _"Looks like Damon's awake. Elena managed to talk him out of coming back here so you should be able to finish your party without a problem from him."_

 _"You did well tonight…"_

 _"Yea well unless Elena is the one talking to him he won't listen; he barely listens to her as it is."_ Caroline objected as she scrunched her nose from picturing Damon.

 _"You dislike Damon."_

 _"You can say that."_ Caroline admitted as she looked away from them; she wasn't about to discuss all of the reasons she hated the older Salvatore.

 _"Yet you protect him."_

 _"Well when Stefan isn't a ripper he's my friend and Damon is his brother."_ Caroline explained to get off the subject faster; plus she felt like she owed it to Stefan to make sure everything was okay with ALL of their group.

 _"She's loyal to a fault."_ Klaus spoke up and she glared at him. He only gave her a smirk in return and Caroline knew Ester spoke up to keep them from beginning an argument.

 _"Just because she defies you Niklaus it does not mean her degree of loyalty is a fault; if it was you wouldn't want it so much."_

 _"And if Kol had acted against her we would be having a completely different discussion. I'm surprised he didn't attack her since he hates me and she's one of my hybrids; one I invited as my date tonight."_

 _"Kol will be dealt with accordingly for the display he gave tonight. He did not attack the girl because she pulled Damon off of him in attempt to end the fight. I would think your brother has enough sense to not attack her in the future since it will not only go against my wishes, but it would cause a further rift between our family and her friends."_

 _"There wouldn't be a rift if he would stop using Elena to make hybrids and trying to kill the rest of us; not to mention the sire bond the other hybrids have to him."_ Caroline cut in to point out the obvious; plus she didn't want to watch Klaus and his mother bicker all night.

 _"Oh come now sweetheart… we've already had this discussion…"_ Klaus began but his mother interrupted him, and Caroline could see how much it bothered him being cut off.

 _"Niklaus our family is whole again. You do not need to create hybrids any longer."_

 _"We'll see…"_ He started but Ester cut him off again while Caroline tried to keep from laughing at Klaus being shut up by his mother.

 _"And I think Caroline made a fair point with the sire bond…"_

 _"She doesn't really have a say in the matter Mother because there isn't a sire bond with her."_

 _"But there is one with Tyler."_ Caroline pointed out hoping that maybe Ester might talk him into releasing him; she didn't have any other ideas for it at the moment except letting Tyler do it on his own.

 _"And where is your little boyfriend? It seems he left town; quite coincidently after your father died."_ He snapped and she sucked in a breath to keep from screaming or even punching him at that point. When she looked back at him she saw he looked like he regretted saying what he said but she wasn't going to be tricked by the emotions he was pretending to show. So instead of taking it easy on him she crossed her arms again and let her face show how much she despised him in that moment before she said anything.

 _"He left town so he could find his freedom from you because he keeps hurting people he cares about because of YOU. So if you really want to stand there and say he isn't allowed to live his life how he chooses then you underestimate the will to live and be free; he's not alone in this like you wish he was and we're not giving up until we have the real Tyler back."_ She stated and turned to look at Ester. _"Excuse me but I'm going to leave now. I have a feeling I'm needed for damage control more than I'm needed here."_ She spoke and Ester nodded so she went to the balcony edge and listened for any sign there was someone around before jumping over the ledge to the ground below and flashing to her car without looking back. She drove over to the boarding house first to make sure everything was alright but Damon was gone, Stefan was in research mode, and Elena had already went home so she left for Elena's house.

Once she was sure Elena was fine she called Matt to make sure Damon hadn't hurt him when he had taken him home. Hearing that he was fine and at the grill avoiding Rebekah and that she and Damon were drinking together she decided to go on home. When she got there the lights were off and she knew her mother wasn't home still. She walked into the house going straight to her room and turning on her bedroom light. Taking a seat at her vanity and pulling her heels off while lost in thought she saw something on her bed in the reflection of her mirror so she turned to look. Seeing another ribbon-wrapped jewelry box she stood up and stomped over to her bed, snatching the box up and yanking the ribbon off.

 _"Seriously?! Just give up already."_ She voiced her thoughts as she opened the box, scoffing when she saw a piece of paper rolled up. Tossing the box back on her bed she started to unroll the paper and was about to say her thoughts out loud again when she froze looking at the paper. Klaus had drawn her and the horse she had looked at earlier with a little note at the bottom.

 _Thank you for your honesty._

 _-Klaus_

She didn't really know what to think except to maybe rip the drawing into a million little pieces, but looking down at it again she didn't want to. She placed it in the drawer of her nightstand until she could think of what to do with it. She took out her phone and tried to call Tyler again but it went to voicemail so she hung up and stood to remove her dress. She placed it on a hanger and put it in her closet before wrapping a robe around her and going back to the mirror to get her hair down. She hurried through a shower and put on her pajamas, not bothering to dry her hair as she flopped down on her bed to let sleep claim her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 ** _Klaus POV…_**

He had watched her go, not really surprised when she had chosen to jump over the balcony since it would get her away faster. He was angry; that much was for sure, but she had spoken with him honesty regardless of the fact he could have killed her right there. He knew he wouldn't kill her, but even telling her that she was his favorite he figured she would think the opposite. He looked at his mother as she turned to face him now that Caroline had left to see the disappointment on her face.

 _"Niklaus, I do so wish you would see that you do not need to make more hybrids; and you would release the ones you've already made. It would help the negotiations with the other group more smoothly if they saw our family willing to make a few compromises."_

 _"On this I will not change my mind Mother. I cannot have a bunch of my hybrids wandering around uncontrolled; there must be order in them."_ Klaus replied as he moved to linger where Caroline had been standing and took in the scent she left behind. He hadn't wanted to hurt her, but he had snapped with her insistence on Tyler's behalf; the pup didn't deserve her in any way.

 _"I've seen much disappointment tonight. I asked that there be no violence and my wishes were ignored. That girl was the one supernatural person that, not only obeyed, but stepped in to stop the fight before it really began. You might as well have participated in the fight with the way you acted with her. I will be inside… do not let anything else start tonight."_ She warned and walked away. He could hear her begin talking to Elijah as he walked back towards his art room. His brother was letting her know he would deal with Rebekah and Kol and his mother saying she wished her children were more like him. He was glad the sounds of the dying party filtered through by the time he made it to his destination; not wanting to hear his mother praise Elijah anymore. Finn and Elijah had always been Ester's favorite sons, so it wasn't surprising that it was still that way after a thousand years.

He reached down and picked up the bracelet she had tossed down and laid it inside one of the drawers on his desk. Looking around the room at his artwork he replayed their conversations in his head; lingering on how she actually looked curious when she figured out he had done all the art in the room. Realizing his art was the only thing she had taken an interest in besides the horses outside he picked up a blank piece of paper; an idea already forming in his head on how to approach her again. He quickly drew her and the horse from earlier she had been admiring when she sought to escape from him and the party. When he was finished he debated on what to say to her since he wasn't going to apologize, but he didn't want her to think he would act against her. Writing out his thanks for her honesty he quickly set off out of the mansion towards her house.

When he got there he realized she wasn't home yet; no doubt checking up on all of her friends. He went inside, going straight to her room he thought about leaving the drawing on the nightstand like he had the jewelry box. When he noticed the nightstand drawer not full closed he pulled it open; not really ashamed of the fact he was snooping. He saw the jewelry box that the bracelet had been in so he pulled it and the ribbon out, closing the drawer back, and rolled his drawing up; placing it inside the jewelry box with a smirk thinking she would get frustrated thinking he had brought the bracelet back. Not knowing when she'd be home and not wanting to get caught snooping, he laid the box on her bed and took one last look around the room before he went back home. The guests had left by the time he made it back and he didn't bother checking to see what his siblings were up to before changing out of his suit and going to bed.

 ** _Next Day…_**

Klaus had woken relatively early and was content to just stay home and sketch the day away. He had been drawing Caroline and letting out a growl any time one of his brothers came near him to see what he was drawing. When Kol came in to pester him he turned the page and started drawing something else; ignoring his brother's attempts to fill the silence and boredom of the day with mindless chatter. When Rebekah came home he smirked knowing he wouldn't have to be the one to call her out on her late-night activities since Kol had spotted her. He sat there grinning as Kol hounded her about staying out all night and suggesting she had been with the quarterback; not faltering when she said she hadn't been with Matt. He couldn't help but chuckle when Kol called her a strumpet, but knew his brother was up to something when he said "at least she's having fun" before asking him to accompany him out.

With nothing else to do that day he readily agreed and put his sketchbook away while Kol and Rebekah bantered some more. He walked out ahead of him but not far enough to miss Kol compare the house full of men to Rebekah. Resisting the urge to laugh and draw Rebekah's attention to him he walked further outside. When they flashed to the grill they overheard Alaric and Dr. Fell talking about who the killer might be, suggesting it was a vampire. So he couldn't help but tell them not to blame his family just because they had a killer on the loose before he and Kol proceeded to make their way through the Grill's liquor supply.

He had hoped Caroline would make an appearance since it was the only place in town that served food, but as it grew dark outside he doubted she would show. He wondered what she had thought of his drawing and if she would be difficult to talk to the next time they ran into each other. He listened to his brother point out different women in the quaint little grill that would serve as food or pleasure but he mostly ignored him. They had their backs to the bar so they could keep their eyes open on any surprise attacks so when he saw her walk in he felt his excitement come to life; but she didn't even look his way and went straight to talk to the quarterback while he was working.

 _"Now I remember her from last night. She looks like a tasty little thing."_ He heard Kol comment and wanted to make things clear; she was off limits in every way.

 _"Say another word Kol and I'll tear out your liver."_ He said with a serious look and his brother quieted so they could listen in on Caroline and Matt's conversation.

 ** _Caroline POV…_**

She had spent most of the day combing through the cell with her father's belongings looking for his journal, and she knew her mom was working a double-shift so she decided to call it a day; and she wanted to make sure her mother ate so she had called ahead to have the food ready when she got to the grill. She walked in, not bothering to look around since she didn't want to linger; just pick up the food and get it to her mother. When she made it to Matt she gave him a small, tired smile and he chuckled before speaking up first.

 _"You look exhausted."_

 _"Ah thanks Matt… you know I love when someone points out I look awful."_ She said in a whine, even though she knew she had still cleaned herself back up from going through her father's things; she still refused to go out in public looking like crap.

 _"I didn't mean it like that and you know it. I just think you should take a break… you've got a lot going on."_ Matt replied and she gave him a smile before taking a seat at one of the booths for a little conversation while she waited on her food.

 _"Well that's why I called it a night. I just wanted to get something for Mom to eat."_ Caroline stated as she placed her hands on the bar in front of her and saw Matt look towards the warmer where food was kept while waiting on its owners.

 _"Well it's ready. Any luck today?"_

 _"No on both cases… my dad was a mastermind of hiding things; and the only thing I've heard was Stefan suspecting Meredith was the killer. She was there when he died and if anyone else had seen the look on her face they would understand why I say it wasn't her."_ Caroline ranted as she felt the day's frustrations come back out to play. She didn't really want to go over all of it again so she shrugged her shoulders while Matt began speaking.

 _"I don't know who it could be… but we'll figure out who it is Care."_

 _"I know we will… and they'll wish they were never born."_ Caroline stated and had to stop herself from breaking the wooden bar under her hands; not even realizing she had moved to grip it.

 _"Want help?"_ Matt offered and she knew he was serious, but she didn't want anyone there when she got a hold of the person.

 _"I would think I'm quite adept at torture Matt."_ She deadpanned and raised an eyebrow daring him to challenge her statement.

 _"No one would doubt that… I'm just saying the rest of us might want to take turns too. Alaric would be dead if Elena hadn't finished killing him so his ring would bring him back. Your dad…"_

 _"Don't Matt… if you finish that sentence Mom won't get her food because I'll be out trying to track again."_ She cut him off as she forced herself to keep calm against the emotions whirling around inside of her; plus it was useless to keep trying to track a scent that led nowhere.

 _"Sorry. Did you try tracking while a wolf?"_

 _"I can't really shift inside the hospital Matt, but I can still track just as good in this form."_ She explained as she waved her hands up and down in front of her.

 _"So when do I get to see something besides your arm turn?"_ Matt asked and she gave a little laugh as she shook her head in thought, but then bit her lip to stop laughing.

 _"I don't know… Stefan saw though. I think I scared him a little."_ She finally answered once she had stopped laughing; but seeing Matt pretend to look offended made her want to laugh again.

 _"Why did Stefan get to see and not the rest of us?"_ He asked in fake hurt and she tossed a napkin at him.

 _"Because I'm trying to help him… and nothing scares a vampire like a wolf."_ She said with a laugh and he nodded in understanding while laughing with her.

 _"True… but you're good at it. I think your mom is wishing you would turn when she's at home sometime; she said you're cuddly and it's like when you were a kid and would crawl in her lap."_

 _"I feel good when I'm a wolf… I can't really explain it."_ Caroline replied as she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head a little; she really couldn't explain how freeing the sensation was once she was fully a wolf.

 _"You don't have to… it's what you are."_ Matt said and she felt elated that there was at least one of her friends she didn't have to explain it all to.

 _"Exactly! Tyler couldn't figure out why I wanted to shift so much."_ She exclaimed with her arms out as she wanted to do a little happy dance that someone finally understood her; Matt was usually pretty good at understanding how her mind worked anyway.

 _"He took being a wolf differently though. He had to go through the transformations after he accidentally killed Sarah…"_ Matt tried to explain Tyler's problem with being a wolf, but she already knew what the problems had been.

 _"I was there I remember…"_

 _"But he never wanted it and he still doesn't. You on the other hand never fought it; you fought the urge to make a kill but you embrace the rest of it."_ Matt pointed out and she let her head rest on her hands on the bar as she thought about what he had just said; she hadn't ever seen a reason for fighting it as long as she didn't kill anyone.

 _"Am I supposed to hate myself forever for being born a werewolf?"_ She asked as she raised her head back up and lifted her hands so she could still rest her head, but at a higher angle; she hated looking up from the bar.

 _"No… but that's the difference in you and Tyler; you don't hate that part of you and Tyler does."_ Matt explained further and as much as she wanted to feel bad for Tyler hating that part of himself, she knew there wasn't anything he could do to change it.

 _"It's his life… he needs to accept it because if he doesn't he'll just spiral and we both know how he does that."_ She said as she remembered how Tyler used to be before his father died.

 _"Yeah… I still don't like he dated my sister; especially when he was in jerk mode. You made him better."_

 _"I didn't do anything… he got better when he didn't have his dad smacking him around all the time; telling him he needed to be on top of everything."_ Caroline countered as she shifted around on the stool; she wasn't comfortable talking about Mr. Lockwood.

 _"He was still a jerk then. You made him face it all and get over it; it's what you do."_ Matt pointed out as he wiped off the counter close to her and she brought herself away from the bar so he could continue where she had been resting against. She wondered if he was comparing their relationship with hers and Tyler's, but she shook it off; Matt hadn't been an ass before they got together.

 _"People only change when they want to Matt. If he hadn't wanted to change when we became friends then he wouldn't have."_ She argued her thoughts and Matt chuckled before stepping over to the warmer and picking up her bag. Seeing him get the food she stood and got her wallet out.

 _"That's true too. I guess I better get back to work and let you get your mom's food to her."_ Matt stated as he rung her order up and she handed him the money.

 _"Yeah… I might go talk to Stefan a while if he isn't busy; I'm trying to get him back under control with the blood."_

 _"How's that working?"_ He asked curiously and she gave a little grunt as she twisted her lips in thought.

 _"Well I'm not Lexi and I don't think trying to put him back on animal blood would help him. So I'm getting him to control himself with human blood; I'm gonna have to re-stock my blood bags soon but I think it'll work."_ She replied optimistically and with every bit of confidence she had in her friend.

 _"As long as he doesn't start tearing people apart I think you'll get him there."_

 _"Good thing we're vampires… it could take a while."_ She noted as she thought about how difficult it still was for Stefan; even if he didn't want to admit it.

 _"Good luck."_

 _"Thanks. I'll see you later."_ She said as she picked up the bag with her mom's food in it and saw Alaric talking to Meredith so she wanted to stop over and say hi to them before she left. When she started walking towards them she heard Klaus' voice cut in and she nearly jumped since she hadn't been focusing on who was around so she hadn't noticed him until now.

 _"Caroline."_ He had said and she stopped and turned to see him and Kol lounging against the bar so she mentally prepared herself for what was likely going to be another spar.

 _"Oh… it's you."_ She stated half-sarcastically and crossed her arms with her mother's food still clutched in one hand.

 _"Join us for a drink love?"_

 _"Hmm… I'd rather die of thirst, but thanks."_ She said sarcastically and raised her eyebrows before turning and continuing her path to see Alaric. She asked if they had heard anything new and told Meredith she knew the killer wasn't her as she heard Klaus and Kol speaking to each other about her. She heard Klaus asked Kol to agree she was "stunning" and Kol had answered she had looked good walking away from him. When she heard Klaus say he would take it as a challenge she excused herself from Alaric and Meredith to leave, hoping she could get out of there without having to talk to him again.

 _"Caroline!"_ She heard him holler from behind as she walked across the street. She didn't have to look back to hear him nearly get hit by a car; since she heard him tap on the hood with his hand. She wanted to laugh at him but kept walking away from him.

 _"Are you serious? Take a hint."_ She said when he had caught up to her and she turned to face him. When she finished asking she turned back around and attempted to walk away again.

 _"Come now, don't be angry love. We had a little spat; I'm over it already."_

 _"Ah well I'm not."_ She said honestly with a little bit of bitchiness thrown in for effect.

 _"How can I acquit myself?"_ He asked and she stopped to turn and look at him serious.

 _"You and your expensive jewelry and romantic drawings can leave me alone."_ She replied and realized she had made a little slip and accidentally told him she thought the drawing was romantic. She inwardly cringed and was about to walk away again when he spoke up again.

 _"Take a chance Caroline."_ He said with a grin and moved towards the bench to sit as he continued. _"Talk to me."_ He said and she was humored slightly to see him getting excited with the prospect of a conversation. _"Come on, get to know me."_ He offered with a little bounce in his seat and she raised her eyebrows in disbelief at the most human behavior she had seen from him so far, but the next words out of his mouth gave her a challenge. _"I dare you."_

 _"Fine."_ She offered and went to sit but held up a finger so he would know she was serious. _"But just for a minute because I have to get this food to my mom before it's cold."_

 _"Perfect."_ He answered with a smirk and she sat down on the bench as far from him as she could but he turned and scooted towards her, defeating the purpose.

 _"So… what do you want to talk about?"_ She asked, not really knowing what he would want to discuss in his current mood; it was definitely something different than she had seen from him so far.

 _"I want to talk about you. Your hopes… you're dreams; everything you want in life."_ He answered and she couldn't stop the laugh that came out of her. He seemed to be almost desperate and she felt the need to make it clear nothing would ever happen.

 _"Just to be clear… I'm too smart to be seduced by you."_

 _"Well that's why I like you."_ He responded immediately and she scrunched up her face but didn't respond for a few seconds.

 _"Have I mentioned lately that you're insane?"_ She asked when she couldn't think of anything else to say; he really had to be mental to keep trying when she had been adamant in saying no so much.

 _"I do believe you've said something along those lines every time we've spoke."_

 _"Well it's still true."_ She stated before rolling her eyes and looking around; of course she thought she was crazy for sitting there and indulging him in that moment.

 _"If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go first?"_ He asked and it pulled her from her thoughts.

 _"I don't know… um… Egypt."_ Caroline replied after she thought about it; there were countless places she wanted to see, but she didn't really want to tell him about it.

 _"Why?"_ He probed further and it caught her off guard; most people would just move on to another question instead of asking for the reasons behind her answer.

 _"It seems interesting in class so I would assume it's better in real life."_

 _"I'd think you'd enjoy yourself immensely there. There's a lot to see and learn about there."_

 _"So I've heard."_ She replied as she remembered all the pictures she had seen in her geography books, but she heard Klaus ask another question and it pulled her away from her little daydream.

 _"Tell me something I don't know about you."_

 _"I don't know everything that you DO know about me so that's a tricky one."_ She countered since it would be difficult to judge just how much he did know about her at this point; especially when he was a creepy stalker, she thought.

 _"Just anything I wouldn't read about it in public records."_

 _"That's just creepy… do you have a file on everyone in town?"_ She asked before she could stop herself, but saw him laugh before he answered; he obviously didn't think his behavior was creepy or considered stalking.

 _"Just the ones I want to know about; there aren't many."_ He narrowed it down with a smirk and she rolled her eyes at him; he was definitely mental.

 _"Still creepy…"_ She insisted, but he cut her off with a chuckle before calling her out for not answering him.

 _"You're deflecting sweetheart… just tell me something different."_

 _"Um… I'm twice as annoying and whiny when I'm drunk."_ She blurted out remembering all the times her friends had dealt with her and tried to sober her up before taking her home.

 _"What do you do for fun?"_

 _"Hang out with my friends."_ She said automatically knowing the nights she and the girls would get together were some of the best days she could ask for. They would just munch on pizza and junk food, play games, and watch TV all through the night.

 _"What about when it's just you love?"_ He asked and she had to think for a minute before she answered that one.

 _"I stay busy… there's homework and all my club stuff to do so that's what I do when I'm alone."_ She finally gave up since she didn't want to list her short hobby list.

 _"What about art?"_

 _"I'm not artistic at all. I can look at something and say if I think it's good or not, but I can't make it myself."_ Caroline admitted as she kept herself from looking at him; she hated saying she couldn't do something. In all honesty, she had once thought it would have been a fun thing to learn but after many failed attempts at making a decipherable picture she had accepted defeat; she hated failing at anything she did.

 _"I wouldn't have thought that."_

 _"Why?"_ She asked seriously and turned to look at him again. He was only lucky she had been too embarrassed to keep any of her art pieces around or she'd show him how much she sucked at it.

 _"Not too many people can actually figure out the art pieces in my home are mine."_

 _"It was just a hunch…"_ Caroline said quickly so he wouldn't read too much into it; which wasn't much to read into anyway.

 _"A correct one nonetheless love. Do you…"_ He started but stopped and she noticed his posture change. She looked around wondering what he was picking up on.

 _"What is it?"_ She asked when she saw him stand and looked around again to see if she could pick up what he was sensing.

 _"What did you do?"_ He asked and she looked at him curiously wondering what he was talking about as she stood from the bench.

 _"What are you talking about?"_ She asked but he grabbed her by her upper arms and shook her a little. She started getting scared and looked around to make sure they weren't seen but also hoping someone would stop him.

 _"What did you do?!"_

 _"I didn't do anything. Stop it!"_ She said as she tried to tug herself loose as she looked around again, but he released her and turned his head back towards the Grill before uttering his brother's name and flashing away. She stood there for a second stunned before flashing to the police station and giving her mom her food. She made a quick excuse to leave before exiting and flashing back to the grill; checking inside before going back out and moving around to the back. She saw Elijah at the top of the stairs and walked to the side of him to see what was going on. She saw Kol and Stefan down on the ground with Klaus and Damon still braced for a fight. She knew she looked confused as she tried to figure out what was going on, but couldn't find the will to speak when she heard Elijah speak and say Rebekah would kill Elena if Damon didn't tell him where his mother was and that he had found a paper used in a spell to link all the Original siblings together.

She couldn't help but move to take a seat on the steps and run a hand through her hair. She was frustrated once again that her friends had made a plan and left her out of it. She was also worried that Klaus would kill them or her mother since he obviously thought she had known; her arms were still a little tender even with advanced healing. She looked down at Damon again to see him looking at her in challenge so she stood and walked right over to him, bringing her fist up to connect to his jaw before he could stop her.

 _"Next time you make a plan, don't keep everyone in the dark. You're gonna get somebody killed."_ She hissed at him as she kept from looking at Klaus; she was still angry about being grabbed like she had.

 _"Oh lighten up Blondie… no one's died yet. Besides… if we had told you, you wouldn't have been able to hide it; you can't lie worth shit."_ Damon replied and she resisted the urge to punch him again as she got right in his face.

 _"No one's died YET! Now you better fill me in on what the hell is going on because he just said Rebekah will kill Elena if you don't stop whatever it is."_ She pressed as she looked up at the clock to see how much time they had to work with.

 _"Ester linked her children together so she could kill them. She's got Bonnie and her mother with her and Finn."_

 _"Why does she have Bonnie and Abby?"_ Caroline asked as her gaze fell on Damon again as she began to panic.

 _"They're witches… she probably wants their help to kill them."_ Damon answered, but he didn't seem to care about them at all.

 _"So Bonnie, Elena, and Abby are all in danger and you're just standing here?!"_ Caroline half-yelled as she moved closer to Damon and he at least had the sense to back up a little as she began cornering him.

 _"Hey! I'm only trying to fix a problem."_ He argued but she had already had enough; it was time someone did something. She didn't give him time to react before she shoved him against the side of the building and let her eyes change to show she meant business.

 _"Where are they?"_ She growled at him and saw him huff before looking at her like she was of no use.

 _"What are you going to do?"_ He asked sarcastically and she pulled him away from the wall to push him back harder than she had the first time; feeling a little better when the brick siding split.

 _"I'm getting Bonnie and Abby out of there…"_ She stated, but he cut her off and she glared at him.

 _"No you are not… you would only mess something up."_

 _"WHERE ARE THEY?!"_ She screamed and she saw Damon flinch and look to Elijah to speak the location. She knew the witches at the witches' house wouldn't like vampire presences and heard the sound of whooshing to see the Original brothers gone so she stepped over and fixed Stefan's neck to wake him up faster. _"Go Damon… they'll kill Bonnie and Abby."_ She said and watched him flash away as she waited on Stefan to wake up. It only took a couple minutes before he was up and she was filling him in on what was happening. So they flashed towards the witches' house and found Damon. She separated from them so she could look for Bonnie as she heard Ester talking to her sons about them being monsters; even though she was the one responsible for turning them into vampires.

Stefan caught up to her and told her to keep an eye open as they stumbled across Bonnie. She informed them that Ester was channeling all the witches in her line; both dead and alive. Stefan told her they would have to find a way to break the connection and Caroline felt a shiver of fear at what he was implying. He didn't make a move towards Bonnie but she could hear Damon say something before she heard a snap. She sucked in a breath and looked at Stefan to see that he knew what Damon had done as well. Outside she heard Ester begging for the witch spirits to not abandon her but she drowned it out. When Stefan led Bonnie out of the house she sobbed at the sight of her mother's body slung over Damon's shoulder.

Caroline ignored the Original's presence as she crouched down next to Bonnie and tried to comfort her while she was still sobbing over Abby's body now that Damon had placed her on the ground. She made sure Bonnie knew Abby would wake up and that she would help them as her friend shook. She knew Bonnie was in pain and didn't know if Abby would choose to finish transitioning or die, but she would try to talk her into being a vampire so her friend wouldn't lose her mother. When Damon tried to reach for Abby's body again Bonnie gave him an aneurysm until he backed away and Caroline released her to scoot around slightly and have her look at her.

 _"Bonnie we need to move her. You want her comfortable when she wakes up."_ Caroline spoke calmly so her friend wouldn't lose control of her magic and end up hurting them; and they really needed to move Abby's body away from the area.

 _"This isn't right… I just got her back."_

 _"I know… I know. She'll still be your mother as a vampire though; if she chooses it. But one of them has to carry her back to your house; I'm going to carry you."_ Caroline continued to reason with her and saw her nod a little.

 _"Let Stefan do it please."_ Bonnie said and closed her eyes as near tears came down. Caroline looked over to Stefan as she pried Bonnie's hands off of her mother; only to have them wrap around her and momentarily immobilize her. She wrapped her arms around her friend as she looked to Damon and shook her head. Then she looked at the Originals to see them arguing amongst themselves before Damon got their attention.

 _"Have Rebekah let Elena go."_ Damon said to Elijah and she watched as Elijah called his sister to repeat the instructions. Stefan stepped over and gave Caroline a nod before lifting Abby over his shoulder and she pulled Bonnie further into her embrace so she wouldn't she what was going on. When Stefan was gone she pulled back from Bonnie and stood up, pulling Bonnie up with her. She was about to take off with her friend, but Bonnie nearly fell again since Caroline hadn't picked her up yet.

 _"Come on Bon… I've got you. I'm going to get you home."_ Caroline spoke soothingly as she tried to get Bonnie back to her feet, but ended up falling to the ground with her as she sobbed.

 _"Nothing's okay… and I... I just can't…"_

 _"Yes you can Bonnie."_ Caroline insisted and pulled Bonnie's face up to look at her. _" Listen to me… your mom is going to wake up soon. If she wants to finish transitioning then I'll do whatever I have to do to help. I'll get her blood… I'll show her how to compel someone; I'll teach her. She'll be okay, alright?"_ She continued as she hoped Abby would agree to finish the transition; even though she knew it would be entirely Abby's decision.

 _"Will you keep everyone away? I don't want to see anyone. And tell Elena I'm sorry but I need time before I see her again."_ Bonnie finally said when she got her sobs under control.

 _"Alright."_ She said as she lifted Bonnie up and glanced at Damon, giving him a nod, and flashing away. No doubt Damon hadn't left yet since it would have left her and Bonnie alone with 3 pissed off Original brothers, but she knew he'd leave after she did. She got Bonnie to her house to see Stefan waiting on the porch for them since he had already taken Abby inside, but he left without a word when they got on the porch; probably to get Elena if Damon hadn't already went to get her himself.

So she led Bonnie inside to where Abby was laid on a bed and went into the living room to give them some space. She decided to wait until Abby was about to wake up before she intruded; and wouldn't then if not for fear Abby might lose control and hurt Bonnie. When she heard a knock at the door she opened it to see Elena standing there trying not to cry. She knew it would be difficult to get Elena to leave so she took a breath and started to explain that Bonnie just wanted time before she would see her again. Elena kept begging her since Bonnie had been there for her after the death of Elena's parents, but Caroline held strong. She mentioned it was usually Bonnie that paid the price of saving her, but it was okay because Bonnie loved her; she just needed some time and space to sort everything out.

When Elena left she could hear Bonnie crying and wanted to go to her, but when she saw Bonnie leaning against the door to the bedroom looking at her she only gave her a nod. There wasn't much to do while they waited for Abby to wake up so she had Stefan bring some blood over in case Abby became a vampire. She didn't really want to think of what would happen if Abby didn't complete transition; she didn't want to watch Bonnie fall apart like she knew she would. When she was sure Abby would wake up soon she went back into the room she was lying in to wait with Bonnie. When a gasp was heard throughout the room she knew it would be a long night and she only hoped it wouldn't be as hard as she imagined it would be to get Abby to turn.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

It had been an exhausting few days as Abby was convinced to finish turning and Caroline was trying to help her adjust. But through it all Abby still ran again and Bonnie was beyond upset that her mother had left her again. She had managed to keep track of everything else going on through Stefan; they had found some white oak and had made a few stakes, there was a redheaded vampire that had shown up in town, and Alaric was blacking out and couldn't remember what he would do. It put the suspicions on Alaric to be the killer going around, but the fact he had been nearly killed himself had everyone having mixed emotions. Bonnie had made up a drink for him to drink everyday so he would be himself at all times, and it had been working, but Caroline kept thinking it over; if Alaric was the killer that had been the reason her father was now dead she didn't know if she would be able to bring herself to extract vengeance since he wasn't really himself when he did it.

So when Bonnie showed up at her house saying that Klaus had forced her to unlink his siblings and himself, threatened Jeremy, and Rebekah had Damon chained up she didn't know what to do. She flashed Bonnie back home and went to the boarding house, but it was empty. She was about to leave when Stefan and Elena came in and told her they had managed to kill Finn. She gave Elena privacy while her friend tried to talk Stefan out of going after Klaus, stepping in only to say Bonnie had unlinked the Originals. Stefan left and Caroline was about to talk to Elena when Stefan flew between them and Sage came inside the house. Wanting to protect Elena she stepped forward but Sage knocked her down with a punch and advanced towards Stefan.

Before a fight could fully begin Sage started to spit up blood as it started dripping from her nose. Caroline sat up and watched as, not only Sage, but Troy (a vampire turned by Sage) died in front of them. As she pushed herself up she saw Stefan stand as well while Elena stepped forward. Neither Sage nor Troy seemed to know what had happened to them. She and Elena started throwing theories out there and Caroline declined the theory of a wolf or hybrid bite since she had been the one to care for Matt and his bite didn't affect him like that. She threw out it could be because Sage loved Finn so much even though she knew that wasn't the reason, but Stefan connected the dots; leaving them learning that when an Original died their bloodline died with them. She didn't know who created Stefan, Damon, and Matt's but she knew who created her and Tyler; Klaus. Which meant if Klaus wasn't the Original that created the Salvatore's bloodline they would go after Klaus and kill him; and then she and Tyler would die, along with any other hybrid or vampire in Klaus' bloodline.

She didn't want to appear afraid when Stefan and Elena looked towards her so she kept her gaze pointed at the floor and gave a nod; Stefan may back off to save her and Tyler but Damon wouldn't. With Damon chained up, Finn dead, Alaric switching between himself & his alter-ego, and Tyler being gone she wanted to scream. She excused herself and flashed home to call Tyler again. When she looked at her phone she had to keep from crying before she pressed call and heard it go to voicemail. She left him a brief message to come home because it was important before hanging up. When she saw the call end she didn't hold back her frustration anymore and sank to the floor as the tears came out and her throat felt like it was closing up. She let it all out until she couldn't stay awake anymore and rushed herself to bed right before she passed out.

 ** _Morning…_**

She rolled over groaning when she heard the sound of her phone ringing and knew she had a text so she sat up to see who it was from. Seeing it was from Tyler she quickly opened it up, reading it over she quickly changed her clothes and made sure her appearance would pass for normal. Drinking a couple blood bags before she left she read the text again to make sure he had told her to meet him at the Lockwood cellar. Checking her appearance once more as she listened to the voicemail from Stefan saying Damon was free and that Damon and Elena were going to Denver to get Jeremy and find the source of their bloodline she flashed out of the house and through the forest, stopping once she was close by. Walking close to the entrance of the cellar she looked around and listened closely for any sign of him; sensing him behind her she smiled but masked it as she turned to see him standing before her.

 _"Hi."_ She offered almost shyly since she hadn't seen him in a while and didn't know what he was thinking. During one of the last voicemails he had left he said he had felt different and he thought the sire bond was broken; meaning he would be coming home soon. Now she was standing in front of him waiting for him to move or say something to give her an insight as to what was going on inside his head.

 _"You have no idea how good it is to see you."_ He said and smiled at her, causing her to smile in return as they began to move towards each other. When their lips met she finally felt a sense of peace wash over her after everything that had happened since the night they had been turned. It was like they had been when they first got together as they wandered down into the cellar, barely breaking apart to walk until she turned and tugged her jacket off at the bottom of the steps. When she turned back around he backed her into a wall as they pulled their lips back to each other's again. It didn't take long before their clothes were shed and he had lifted her up against the wall with her legs wrapped around his waist.

Their first round didn't last long since they were both so desperate to have a connection after being separated for so long, but they eventually made their way to the floor where he had a blanket spread out. The next few hours were spent running on pure instinct as they ground against each other, clinging to the other as if they would disappear if they let go or stopped. When they finally felt reacquainted they laid back against the ground and pulled the top blanket over them; him lying on his back and her pressed into his side with her head on his shoulder as her fingers trailed lazily over his chest.

 _"Did I mention I miss you… bad?"_ Tyler said and she laughed as she looked up at him before kissing his shoulder and laying her head back down on him.

 _"At some point, we are going to do this in an actual bed, right?"_ She asked since, in actuality, they had only had their first time together in a bed and she was missing it.

 _"Yes, I promise."_ He answered and they shared another small laugh before Caroline remembered all the craziness going on that Tyler didn't know about. _"Once I figure out how to deal with Klaus"_

 _"Tell him to suck it. You broke his sire bond… you won't have to deal with him anymore."_ She replied with a tired laugh, but she was still proud of him for finally getting his freedom.

 _"It's easier said than done. Besides… I won't know if it's broken for sure until I test it."_

 _"Wait."_ She started as she sat up on her elbows, turning over on her stomach. _"I thought that's why you were coming back? Because you said you felt different."_

 _"I DO feel different. I feel freer; way more myself. All I know is I just turned about a hundred times in the Appalachian Mountains. If I can get through that I can get through anything."_

 _"Good… because Klaus might not be our only problem."_ Caroline informed him as she felt her nervousness of having to explain it all to him come up.

 _"Why? What else I miss?"_

 _"Matt managed to kill an Original and then every vampire that Original had ever turned mysteriously died. Right now Damon is desperate to figure out which Original created their bloodline and if he finds out it wasn't Klaus… Damon's gonna kill him."_

 _"But Klaus turned me and you. So if he dies, we die."_

 _"I know that and they know that. The difference is… Damon doesn't care."_ She spoke and looked at him as he absorbed the new information; they could both die soon and they actually just might.

 _"Do you think there's a way to break the bloodline to us?"_

 _"If there is a way… we don't know it."_ She answered as she felt her sadness come up; she had just gotten Tyler back and they might end up dying soon.

 _"We can't let him know I'm unsired until I can test it to be sure and it would be better if he thinks I'm still sired so he doesn't do anything to us about it."_

 _"Alright… so when are you going to let everyone else know you're back?"_ She asked and heard him sigh as he ran his fingers over her back.

 _"Tomorrow… I just want one day back for just us."_

 _"Sounds good to me. You know… the decade dance is tomorrow. You can go with me now that you're back; it would let everyone know at once."_ Caroline offered and hoped he would go for it; she had missed him terribly and she didn't want to go to the dance alone.

 _"So do you think your mom would let me stay at your house?"_

 _"I can ask her… she should be home soon."_ She responded and moved over him to spend the rest of the time until her mother was home catching up on lost time with him.

 ** _Later at Caroline's house…_**

When they showed up at her house her mother had been reluctant to invite Tyler inside but Caroline told her that he had broken the sire bond so Liz finally gave in. When she asked her mother if Tyler could stay with them she had been even less inclined to let him than inviting him in the house. Caroline had to all but beg Liz, but she finally got her to say he could but he had to sleep on the couch; seeing that Matt nearly died in the guestroom it didn't seem the best idea to have Tyler sleep in there. So Caroline went to the guestroom to get a couple blankets and a pillow before going to her room to see Tyler standing in there.

 _"So… good news; my mom said you can stay as long as you want."_

 _"Did she say we could share the bed?"_

 _"No… she said you could sleep on the couch."_ She replied, even though she was hoping they could still manage to sneak and use the bed.

 _"Hmm…"_

 _"At least until we can find out what Stefan and Damon find out about Klaus."_

 _"And if Klaus didn't create their bloodline? And they try to kill him?"_

 _"Tyler… I just got you back."_ She responded before she leaned in and kissed him. When she pulled back she gave him a smile before continuing. _"I'm not losing you again."_ She stated so he knew she meant it. She turned and went to go set up the couch as she wondered what would happen if Klaus WAS responsible for the Salvatore line. She had barely unwrapped the blanket when Tyler's voice pulled her from her musings.

 _"Klaus drew this for you?"_

 _"Huh?"_ She asked as she looked to see Tyler holding up the drawing Klaus had given her.

 _"That's pretty creepy."_

 _"Yeah… Klaus is pretty creepy."_ She agreed as she walked towards Tyler and crossed her arms across her chest. _"Even when he's trying to be charming."_ She finished and Tyler gave her a look she had seen before when he had been jealous of her being friends with Matt.

 _"Charming? Does Klaus have a thing for you or something?"_

 _"No. As far as I'm concerned Klaus isn't capable of real feelings."_ She answered, even though she still needed to tell him that Klaus WAS interested; at least to use in his plots.

 _"I'm serious… what the hell happened while I was gone?"_ He asked as he looked at her seriously.

 _"Tyler… nothing. Nothing happened."_ She stressed in a calm voice since she didn't know what he would do if he lost control of himself again.

 _"Then why'd you keep this?"_ He asked as he looked down at the drawing in his hand.

 _"I don't know."_ She answered honestly. It had been bothering her that she had kept it but didn't want to throw it away at the same time. Seeing him looking at her like he didn't believe her, she felt all the good feelings of having him back fall away at the thought of him leaving again.

 _"I think I'm gonna find somewhere else to spend the night."_ He said as he walked around her and pushed the drawing into her hand. She didn't want him to leave; especially when he didn't believe her.

 _"Tyler… Tyler!"_ She called after him but he just kept walking until she heard the door close. She turned back around towards her bed, looking down at the drawing in her hand as she released a breath from frustration. She crammed the drawing down in the nightstand drawer, slamming the drawer shut, before she went and picked up the pillow and blanket from the couch to put them back up. She told her mom Tyler had changed his mind, but didn't go into why; not really feeling like rehashing their argument. She knew she would have a long day tomorrow so she decided to just go to bed.

 ** _Decade Dance…_**

Caroline hadn't been thrilled when Rebekah had changed the theme of the dance from the 70's to the 20's but she had made sure the dance would still look fabulous. She looked around at all the decorations she had managed to get people to put up and gave a sad smile. She was wishing Tyler was there with her, but she hadn't seen him since the night before when he had walked out of her house. She looked to see that Elena had actually listened to her when she had told her to take Stefan to the dance instead of Damon; especially after Elena told her that she had kissed Damon outside the motel in Denver. She didn't know why Elena couldn't just pick one already; preferably Stefan since Damon was an ass with or without emotions. Then she turned her attention towards Bonnie, who was dancing with Jaime (the guy Abby had raised as a son) and smiled before going over to talk to Matt.

She had been worried about how much time he had been spending with Elena since it was everyone else in her life that got hurt because they were close to her. She just wanted him to know she was looking out for him and they were about to at least have a small agreement when Matt looked past her and asked what "he" was doing here. Worried that Klaus had shown up to ruin yet another school function she whipped around, but she saw Tyler instead. Without saying another word to Matt she stomped over to Tyler still a little upset he didn't believe her and now he was risking getting seen if Klaus came to the dance.

 _"Are you crazy? If Klaus sees you…"_ Caroline started, but Tyler cut her off.

 _"What's he gonna do? Draw you another picture?"_

 _"Tyler this isn't a joke!"_ She stressed as she felt her aggravation come up from Tyler thinking she had something going on with Klaus; and then him risking getting caught by coming there, even if she had asked him to.

 _"I can pretend I'm sired if I have to, but I'm not going to hide while he's macking all over you."_

 _"Tyler… you do NOT need to be jealous of Klaus."_ She stated honestly, once again hurt that Tyler didn't believe in her enough to realize she wasn't leaving him or cheating on him.

 _"I AM jealous, but I'm also competitive. So hang on; I'm about to sweep you off your feet."_ He warned before he leaned down and picked her up, twirling her around before setting her back down so they could begin dancing with each other among their classmates. She couldn't help the squeal she had given when her feet left the floor or the laughs and smiles she gave having him at the dance with her; it was as if nothing was wrong in that moment and they could forget all the chaos of their lives. They stayed within their little bubble for a few songs until a slow song finally played and they let go of the 20's dancing slightly so they could be closer. She had closed her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder inhaling his scent that she had found herself missing since he'd been gone when she felt him stiffen and their little bubble was obliterated.

 _"What is it?"_ She asked as she picked up Klaus' scent and turned to see him walking towards them so she turned into Tyler's side more and pulled an arm up over his shoulder.

 _"Where've you been mate?"_ She heard him ask and bit her tongue to keep from saying it didn't matter where Tyler had been because their lives were none of his business.

 _"I just got back in town."_ Tyler responded vaguely.

 _"That's funny… I don't recall giving you permission to leave in the first place."_ Klaus stated as he walked closer to the couple and Tyler leaned her away from Klaus' direction slightly as she gave his shoulder a light squeeze. _"You don't mind if I cut in do you?"_

 _"Yes actually… we do."_ Caroline answered for Tyler since he had to pretend to be sired and she had lost any patience she had when he tried to break up her dance with Tyler. But when she saw him look towards Tyler she felt Tyler pull away from her.

 _"No… it's fine."_ Tyler said and she wanted to smack them both at that moment but settled for turning angrily towards Klaus and confronting him.

 _"Why do you always have to prove you're the alpha male?"_

 _"I don't have to prove anything love; I am the alpha male. Come on… one dance Caroline; I won't bite."_ He said and offered his hand. She looked over her shoulder at Tyler, not wanting to dance with Klaus but having to keep up the appearance that Tyler was still sired she put her hand in his and he led them a few feet away; giving her a slow spin before putting his free hand on the side of her waist and sliding it around to the small of her back. She kept her eyes on Tyler hoping he would understand that he was the only reason she was dancing with Klaus, but Klaus spoke up and broke her concentration.

 _"You would have love the 1920's Caroline. Girls were reckless, sexy, fun; they literally used to dance until they dropped."_

 _"I don't suppose that ever happened to their dance partners?"_ She asked as she kept her eyes away from him; still angry with having to dance with him in the first place.

 _"You should be nicer to me; I'm leaving town tomorrow. I'd invite you to come with me but we both know you're not ready to accept my offer. Perhaps one day… in a year… or even in a century, you'll turn up at my door and let me show you what the world has to offer."_ He spoke softly to her and she kept glancing back to Tyler to see him resisting the urge to come over and rip them apart.

She didn't really think Klaus was being serious any time he had approached her and saying he liked her, but the way he was looking at her made her think differently. Then she felt her anger return as he leaned in close to her face and she scoffed, looking at him like he was crazy if he thought she would really be persuaded to go anywhere with him. He looked angry as he broke the dance and stepped back and she was a little worried when he stepped back to her, towering above her but keeping from physical contact.

 _"You mark my words. Small town boy, small town life; it won't be enough for you. And let's not forget the fact that he is NOT an alpha… which means you two will never be what you want to be."_ He finished with a look and walked away, causing her to turn around as he did if she didn't want to touch him. She watched him walk away before walking back to Tyler and wrapping her arms around him tightly.

 _"Don't listen to him… we'll find a way. I'm not even sure if that's a lie or not; I'm still looking through everything Dad left behind."_

 _"I told you I'm not giving up."_ Tyler responded and she nodded against him and held on to him tighter as they began dancing again. She just wanted their night to go back to being just them in their own little world on the dance floor. She breathed in relief as she calmed back down and they carried on dancing, not knowing when something else would happen; school dances seemed to attract danger more and more these days.

When they learned Ester had taken Elena with alter-ego Alaric and something was prevented them from leaving she gave up hope the night would go back to normal and went to check the border herself; Tyler following right behind her. She could see the ring around the school, and sure enough it prevented her from crossing it. She gave a huff before grabbing Tyler's hand and going back inside to find Stefan; finding him, Damon, Bonnie, and Jaime discussing how they would get out and get to Elena. They had barely made it in the room when Matt and Jeremy came in behind them announcing that humans were leaving with no problem and that Jeremy wanted to go get Elena from Ester and Alaric.

She nearly attacked when she saw Klaus hold Jaime up by the throat but Tyler held her back; Klaus wanting to get Bonnie to bring the barrier down and locate where Ester had taken Elena. Stefan stepped in to make Klaus see reason instead of using threats to get Bonnie to do what needed to be done. When she heard Stefan say the only reason Bonnie would help is because of her and Tyler she wanted to smack him; fearing Klaus would turn and try to kill Tyler to motivate Bonnie. But Stefan summarized that Bonnie wouldn't help at all if Klaus started going after the people she cared about. Caroline hadn't realized she had moved in front of Tyler, but feeling his hand come up on her shoulder she leaned back against him.

Bonnie stomped out of the room to go do a location spell and she saw Klaus and Damon follow her so she grabbed Tyler's hand and led him back to the gym since it had started clearing out. They sat in there on the bleachers until it had cleared out completely and she saw Stefan come into the gym. Tyler continued to sit where he was, but Caroline stood and met Stefan at the bottom of the bleachers. Hearing that Jeremy was on his way to the old cemetery she nearly jumped out of her skin, but Stefan kept talking. She heard it was the only place they could be since Ester would have to draw enough power to keep them stuck at the school and Elena's location blocked.

She knew Stefan was freaking out inside because he was worried about Elena, so she tried to assure him that she'd be alright. When Stefan brought up that Ester had lured Klaus to the school for a reason and that he was concerned that Ester might succeed and kill Klaus, Tyler spoke up that he and Caroline would die too. Stefan determinedly stated that nobody was going to die and he looked at Tyler as Caroline processed what was going on and the best way to handle it. Before walking away Stefan mentioned that Bonnie was still looking for a way around the boundary spell keeping them at the school, and Caroline turned back to Tyler.

 _"So… best case scenario, Bonnie gets us out of here, Klaus hauls ass to Timbuktu, and you and I are home free."_

 _"Or they could kill him."_

 _"That's not a best case scenario. That's not even a remotely acceptable scenario."_ She argued as she thought about her and Tyler dying; she would give her life for her friends, but she wouldn't give up Tyler's.

 _"It would be an option if we knew he wasn't the one that create Damon, Stefan, and Matt's line. They'd be safe… and at least he'd be gone."_

 _"How can you say that?"_ She asked as she took a couple more steps up the bleachers.

 _"Because I'm angry. Because I hate him. I should have never let him dance with you."_

 _"What were you supposed to do? He can't know that you're not sired anymore. Tyler… it doesn't matter how many times I dance with him."_ She said as she moved up the steps and took a seat next to him, making sure he was looking at her before finishing. _"I love you."_ She said softly with a smile and he remained quiet, dropping his head until she used her hand to guide it back up so she could kiss him. She felt the difference in him as she kissed him; he was distant again but she didn't stop until he loosened up slightly.

 _"So what are we going to do?"_

 _"We're going to get out of here… and then when Klaus skips town we're going to finally have our lives back."_ Caroline answered her best case scenario plan, even though it was hard to see that happening at this point; something always went wrong with their plans.

 _"Unless he's dead…"_

 _"Even if he's dead… I'd find you on the other side."_ She said with a smile and he laughed as he shook his head.

 _"You're crazy but I love it. Let's go see if we can help."_ He said and offered his hand as he stood up. She took it and followed him to go find Bonnie. When they walked in they stood over by Matt and Jaime, motioning for them to stay behind them just in case Klaus wanted to kill someone. Once or twice Caroline moved in front of Tyler, Matt, and Jaime when Klaus got impatient and turned to look their way in contemplation; a silent warning that she would fight him if he came at the people behind her. He would glare but turn back around and she would relax her muscles again.

She was ever so glad when Bonnie told them the barrier was down and they could go, until Klaus came over and told Tyler to be at his house in the morning to help him pack up to leave. When he flashed out of there they all sagged in momentary relief before stepping into action to get to Elena. Finding out that Ester had made Alaric a super-hunter and he was in transition was devastating for their little group and they all gathered in the cemetery to say goodbye to their friend and teacher. She and Tyler stood side by side, watching him step out to see everyone gathered to say goodbye before going back into the crypt with Damon to die instead of finishing the transition. When everyone decided to go Tyler left to go to his house so he could see his mother and Caroline went home to tell her mom everything that had happened.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Caroline woke up early so she could do the clean-up at school from the dance, but didn't feel much enthusiasm as she dressed for the day. She had been exhausted when she had gotten home the night before, and guilt ate at her for when she had wanted to hurt Alaric when she learned it was his alter-ego that stabbed her dad; leading to his death. But then she had forced her mind to think about the good things; such as Tyler's return and the fact that Klaus would be leaving. So as she was driving to the school she kept her mind occupied with making plans for when their Klaus-free life began. Walking into the gym she saw Rebekah turn and look at her before turning back to cleaning up and sassing her.

 _"You're late."_

 _"It's like 8:02."_

 _"Clean-up started at 8 and I managed to show up on time; even though I didn't even get to attend the dance."_

 _"Where's Matt?"_

 _"He got called in at work… said he couldn't make it."_ Rebekah answered and Caroline let out a frustrated breath as she stepped over to the other blonde. She knew Rebekah had an attitude because of her mother and missing another dance; especially one she had helped set up.

 _"I'm sorry about your mother."_ Caroline said honestly and Rebekah looked up to her about to say something, but she guessed the other blonde realized she was being sincere and thought again.

 _"I'm sorry about your teacher. You all seemed to care a lot about him."_

 _"Yeah we did."_

 _"Why didn't you kill him?"_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"I knew you had been looking for the one responsible for your father dying. I thought you would have killed Alaric once you knew he was the one that did it."_

 _"The Alaric we cared about didn't kill him… it was the alter-ego version of Alaric that killed my dad. I knew he wouldn't have killed him had he been himself so I didn't act on what I had planned to do."_

 _"I still don't understand what's going on in that head of yours. I'm going to go clean up somewhere else before we actually start to get along."_

 _"Oh the horror."_

 _"Indeed."_ Rebekah responded as she walked towards the gym exit and Caroline busied herself with picking up everything in the gym; half-tempted to use her vampire speed to get through it faster. She hadn't meant to think about what Rebekah had said, but it slipped into her mind; she hadn't done anything at all to Alaric, even scold him, for killing her father when she had planned to torture the one responsible. But then again, he hadn't been himself when he killed her dad and she couldn't hate Alaric when he was himself; he had been a great friend and teacher.

When she heard the sounds of struggling she wondered what could be happening now after everything they'd all been through and flashed towards the sounds. When she saw Rebekah and Alaric fighting she knew it was bad and flashed forward to help the other blonde dodge the indestructible white oak state and they turned the attack around on him. They managed to get the stake in him together but he didn't die so she looked at Rebekah and mouthed run before flashing out of the school to her car. She hadn't seen a daylight ring on him so she thought she was safe outside, but catching his reflection behind hers on her car window she knew she had been wrong; feeling hands grabbing her by the head was the last thing she knew as her world went black.

 ** _Waking up…_**

Pain was the first thing she felt when she woke up and saw Alaric looming over her as he pushed pencils through her hands and into the desk under them. She tried to not give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream or cry, but felt the burning of vervain on the pencils and she shed a couple tears. Then she felt a gag go over her mouth and every breath felt like she was breathing fire as she realized the rag was soaked in vervain; causing her to cry out a little and she feared moving. When Elena came in he took the rag off and dipped it in the vervain before putting it back around her mouth. She heard Alaric talking about how ALL vampires were monsters and that hybrids like herself was a worse type of breed; proceeding to tell Elena that a sympathizer was just as bad as one of them.

When he pulled Elena up and forced a stake in her hand Caroline tried to swallow the painful lump in her throat; even if a stake wouldn't kill her it would still hurt a lot. Then she heard him instruct her to reach in the hole the stake would make and rip her heart out she closed her eyes and the tears fell. This wasn't what was supposed to happen; she and Tyler were supposed to get their freedom today. She opened her eyes to see Elena looking at her before turning to try and stake Alaric. Alaric caught Elena's arm easily and taunted her about training her better than that before she saw Elena pick up the glass of vervain and smash it against his head. She barely had time to prepare herself from the pain of feeling the pencils pulled out of her hands and the gag removed and she let out a small squeak from pain before she was up and Elena told her to run and get help; so she flashed halfway through the school before turning to look back, wanting to get Elena out of there. She couldn't help but try to scream in fear when she was grabbed from behind and a hand was over her mouth.

 _"Shh shh shh it's me, you're safe. You're okay."_ She heard Klaus say and she sagged in relief that she wasn't against Alaric by herself. She felt his hand lift from her mouth and he leaned to look down the hall she had been in before leaning in close to her ear. _"We'll save Elena. You go straight home and you stay inside. Understand?"_ He asked and she stood speechless as she was still shaking slightly; and not wanting to leave Elena behind. She felt herself being turned around and pulled close enough to still hear him speaking quietly. _"Do you understand me?"_ He asked and she could only nod in response, shocked from the concern she saw when he looked at her and how he wanted her to get to safety.

 _"Thank you."_ She managed to get out since her throat was still raw from breathing in vervain and she inwardly cringed at how her voice sounded. His look changed after she had said those two simple little words, yet she knew that he hadn't heard them often; and if he had they probably hadn't meant anything when he had. She saw him tense back up before flashing away from her and she fought the urge to follow and make sure Elena would make it out of there, but she knew Alaric was stronger than her and she wouldn't stand a chance against him; not with all the vervain Alaric had put in her system weakening her. So for once she listened to the hybrid and flashed to her house as fast as she could, not stopping until she was inside her room.

 ** _Klaus POV…_**

He couldn't believe she had actually listened to him or thanked him, but he forced his mind to focus. They needed to desiccate Alaric to keep him from coming after them; he wished he had killed the man as soon as he had learned he had been turned and was in transition. After the latest events he thought he should just take the doppelganger, his hybrids, and his family somewhere far away; or he could just drain the doppelganger and kill her. He would have his hybrids; not as many as he wanted but it would do to serve his purposes. It wasn't hard to find Alaric, but the strength the teacher turned hunter was strong; taking himself, Stefan, and Damon to even have a chance at holding him down. It wasn't until he was nearly killed and he learned that if Elena died, Alaric would die along with her; the two lives linked.

He quickly got her out of there and to his house to start draining her of her blood; decision made to collect her blood, kill her, and ultimately stop Alaric from chasing after him and his family. When she roused herself awake he didn't hide what he was doing; even asking her if she would have choose Stefan or Damon and saying she should thank him for freeing her from having to make the decision. He went about packing up things he would need on the road before he went back to change the bags he was draining Elena's blood into. He saw Tyler untying her and felt his anger build; telling him to stop untying her and hook up another bag, but he refused. When he tried to put influence on the sire bond he couldn't feel it and knew before Tyler said anything that the mutt had found a way to break the sire bond.

Elena had made it to her feet by then and he shoved her towards the wall, hearing her head crack against the mantle of the fireplace before he went to rush at Tyler. However, he was pushed back by the Salvatore brothers and Tyler as he felt the life draining from him. He looked down to see Stefan's hand pushed slightly into his chest and knew they had used the desiccating spell on him. The hunger was unbelievable but he couldn't move; all he could do was watch as Elena was carried away and he himself was placed in a coffin. He knew that without vampire blood the doppelganger would die from her head injury, but it was likely that Stefan or Damon one would heal her and that would mean Alaric would live to hunt his siblings; and he couldn't do anything about it in his current state.

He hoped his siblings would find a way to wake him up but he didn't count on it. He lost track of time as he laid in the coffin immobilized, until he felt the coffin move and he opened his eyes to see Damon and Bonnie looking down at him. He could hear what they were saying and he wanted nothing more than to rip their heads from their bodies. But when the witch mentioned that 3 of her friends and her mother would die if he died, he knew she was about to do something that no one knew anything about.

When she told him that she was going to put him into Tyler's body in case Alaric caught up to him he felt satisfaction he had gathered the perfect leverage against everyone in that boring little town. Then he wondered if the mutt even knew he would be used as a host for him; probably not since he wouldn't want to risk him getting close to Caroline. The things he could do in the pup's body flashed across his mind but he knew if she ever found out she would never choose to join him; and she was too smart not to figure it out.

Then he wondered what he would say if he fake-died; he couldn't tell her the truth. If she knew he was dying she would think she AND Tyler would both be dying soon after; he needed to come up with an excuse. He needed her to think that Tyler would die but not her and the only things he had to use was her being the first alpha female of her line and she had never been sired to him; he knew she didn't know she was a royal wolf yet and Tyler didn't have a clue either so it would be weird if 'Tyler' told her. But all of this would only need to be done if Alaric found "his location" and staked his body. He didn't want to imagine the alternative; being locked in a coffin until Elena and Alaric died. If that was the case, he didn't know if his family would survive; much less any of his hybrids. And if it he did go into the mutt's body he didn't know how long he would have to stay in it; and he wouldn't have enough strength to protect his family in Tyler's body.

The next time he felt the coffin lid open he saw Alaric standing over him with the white oak stake and felt it stab into his chest. Sucking in a breath he felt his life slipping away as he heard his baby sister and Damon in the background; his sister screaming over his death. When he opened his eyes in was underground somewhere unknown to him. He turned and saw Bonnie standing to the side of him and started to ask what had happened when she spoke up and said he was in Tyler's body. He stood and looked down at the different limbs he was using that weren't his and knew she was telling the truth. It wasn't long after he heard his favorite little blond hybrid calling out Tyler's name and he told Bonnie he'd send her away; he had a plan. He ran towards the sound of her crying out the mutt' name, catching her by surprise when he said her name and having to brace himself when her arms flew around him.

 _"Sorry… I was just with Bonnie."_

 _"Tyler…"_

 _"What is it?"_ He asked and watched her fight her tears as she looked at him/Tyler.

 _"Klaus died… he's dead."_ She replied in a strained voice as she pulled at the bottom of his/Tyler's hair. He acted like it was news for him that he was trying to absorb before he decided it was time to lie.

 _"Bonnie was looking for a way to sever the bloodlines so we wouldn't die…"_

 _"What?"_

 _"She couldn't find a way to sever the lines but she found something else out."_

 _"What is it?"_

 _"You're going to be fine Caroline…"_ He spoke softly and saw her face strain even more with her crying and her hands rub over the back of his/Tyler's neck.

 _"It's not me that I'm worried about…"_

 _"Forget it… I'm a lost cause. But you… you have a beautiful future ahead of you. And when you make it out of this… just tell my mother I left town like I was supposed to."_

 _"Why am I the only one left out of this? It isn't fair… I can't lose you again."_

 _"Your wolf heritage had something to do with it… I don't know for sure."_ Klaus/Tyler lied quickly since he knew he had to hurry this up.

 _"No… we had a plan… if Klaus died we would have each other when we died; we'd find each other on the other side…"_

 _"I'm happy you're going to survive this…"_ Klaus/Tyler replied as he kept his annoyance from showing; he hated hearing her so ready to die with the mutt.

 _"I don't want to…"_

 _"You have to…"_ He said but he couldn't finish when she grabbed his head and pressed her lips against his/Tyler's. It may not have been his body but he had been wanting to know what this was like for a while, and she needed to have her goodbye with Tyler in case something went wrong and Tyler died when he left the mutt's body. So he kissed her back like he had wanted; with everything bit of passion he could throw in it and felt her responding with equal force. Apparently Bonnie was close enough to know what was going on because he felt an aneurysm and had to break away; adding some coughing to make the blonde believe it was time for him to die so she would leave. _"Do you feel anything?"_

 _"No… I feel fine."_ She replied as he watched the tears run down her face.

 _"I need you to go… I don't want you to watch me die."_

 _"Tyler I'm not leaving you…"_

 _"Go…"_

 _"I'm staying."_

 _"Run… or I'll make you run."_

 _"Tyler… no."_ She responded as she bent down to him and tried to wrap her arms around him/Tyler. He began to shift and she jumped back for a second before coming back.

 _"Go!"_ He growled at her as he shifted some more and the bones snapped everywhere. Seeing her only back up a little he growled some more and jumped at her. _"Go! Now Caroline!"_ He screamed in a growl and she sobbed before turning and flashing away. He thought he would have had to hurt her for a minute if she didn't go, but she had finally listened. He forced his bones to snap back before heading back to Bonnie.

 _"Would she have lived if you had died?"_

 _"No."_ He answered honestly as he looked at the little witch.

 _"Then why did you tell her that?"_

 _"It was the only thing I could think of."_ He replied as he breathed in her remaining scent still covering him/Tyler.

 _"You shouldn't have let things get as far as they did."_

 _"If I had stopped her she would have known something was different. Besides love… she needed to say goodbye to him; he may not survive me going back into my body."_

 _"He'll survive…"_

 _"They don't always survive the process. You and her both need to be prepared for Tyler's death just in case."_ He stated casually since he didn't really care if Tyler lived or not.

 _"I won't let him die."_

 _"I don't care either way for his life after I leave his body… I'm just being honest."_

 _"You're hidden while you're in the area… you leave it and someone could find you. If you don't want exposed I'd suggest you stay in here."_ She said and pulled her phone out to call Damon and have him bring Klaus's body to her; using the excuse she wanted to find a way to keep them all alive and he agreed to try. With that she hung up and went out of the cellar to wait away from him. He didn't mind because in honesty he would rather kill her than put up with her. He didn't want to have to find another witch to put him back in his body either so he would have to keep himself from killing her.

A couple hours later the witch came back in and gave him another aneurysm and he tried to keep his anger under control so he could ask why she did it, but before he could speak she told him that Rebekah had killed Elena; and Elena had Damon's blood in her system from earlier. So the doppelganger was beginning the transition, and that meant Alaric was now dead. He would still have to wait until Damon brought his body to get out of the mutt's and they all thought they would be dying. He inwardly smirked at the thought of them counting the seconds and waiting for any sign there was going to die; as well as his siblings trying to figure out why vampires in his bloodline were still alive.

 ** _Morning…_**

He waited all night as the Salvatore brothers were too busy moping over the doppelganger to bring his body to Bonnie. It angered him but he kept himself calm as he waited as he imagined the shock that would cover their faces when he showed back up alive. It wasn't until Bonnie got a text from Liz saying Alaric had told the council members who the supernatural creatures in town were did he start losing control of his anger. Then she got another text asking if she knew if Caroline had left already because she had still been at home when she had left earlier. Bonnie replied that she hadn't, but Liz told her that Caroline and Tyler were both being hunted by the council and wanted Bonnie to find her.

She pulled a map out and took a small box out of her bag before pulling a small earring out and putting it down on the map. When he asked what she was doing she replied that she had something belonging to all of her friends because of what had happened at the school; she didn't want to be unprepared if she needed to locate one of them. He saw it moving slowly along the highway as she tried calling Caroline but didn't get an answer. She kept trying until he snapped and said he would check it out; ignoring her protests because he could be seen.

He flashed out of the cellar and through the forest on the way to the road she had been on. Seeing the flashing lights and hearing the sirens that were in front of and behind a black utility van he knew the council had caught her. He flashed forward and rammed into the van and cruiser behind it before ripping the door open to see her and his sister both tied up; smelling vervain he knew why neither of them had escaped on their own. Still upset that his sister had killed the doppelganger he didn't bother with her as he reached down to pull the ropes free from Caroline; answering her questions of how he/Tyler was alive by saying he was harder to kill than she thought. When she was free he pulled her up and made her run as Rebekah asked about herself. Smirking to himself and wanting a little bit of revenge he told her "keep them busy little sister" with a wink before he left; hearing her say it wasn't possible before he was out of distance to hear anymore. Catching up to Caroline he didn't expect her to push him/Tyler to a tree and start kissing him/Tyler.

 _"I never thought I'd see you again. I don't get it. How are you alive?"_ She asked when she pulled back and looked at him/Tyler.

 _"This is going to sound incredible… but…"_ He didn't get to finish before she was right back on him. He let himself indulge for a moment until he could smell what she was working up to quickly; and he knew she'd never forgive him if she found out. He tried to break away a couple times but she didn't stop so he flashed them over to another tree to press her against it. She got his shirt off and started kissing him again, but he knew he had to stop it soon or he wouldn't.

 _"Easy love; wrong time… wrong place, wrong equipment."_ He said knowing if he was in his body and she was trying to do this with him instead of Tyler he wouldn't stop her.

 _"You're miraculously alive."_ She said slightly shaking her head as she started pulling her jacket off. _"We're fugitives on the run… all signs point to hot hybrid sex."_ She finished and pulled his face back to hers. He couldn't get a word in around her mouth moving over his/Tyler's and he really didn't want to have her when she thought it was Tyler, but she paused to push him against another tree and took her shirt off. He held his arms up to stop her but they landed on her waist as she attacked his/Tyler's face again and all rational mind went out the window. He stopped trying to get her to stop as they ground their lower halves against each other and she pushed her chest pushed up against his/Tyler's. But then out of nowhere she pulled her body back with a confused face, but kept her hands on him/Tyler.

 _"Did you just call me love?"_ She asked and he knew she had finally figured out his little slip-up. So he tilted his head a little bit to answer her.

 _"I don't know love… did I?"_ He responded and tried to smirk but Tyler's face just wasn't meant for it. He saw her pull her hands away from his face as her face turned angry and she used her hands to keep his pushed against the tree in more of a fighting stance; but all he could really focus on was the fact she was half naked in front of him.

 _"What the hell did you do to Tyler?"_

 _"That's what I enjoy about you… so much more than a pretty face."_ He said honestly.

 _"Oh my god… you're Klaus."_ She deduced out loud and stepped back. He couldn't help but think she had no idea what she was doing to him standing in front of him in her bra. _"You're disgusting."_

 _"And you're a GLORIOUS kisser…"_ He responded, but it was immediately cut off by a hard punch that actually made him turn his head. Then he was a little angry but he kept himself calm as he tried to reason with her.

 _"Listen… I didn't have to risk exposure to come save you."_ He started as she turned around to grab her shirt and try to put it back on; admiring the view from the back he got lost in his thoughts when he heard her answer him.

 _"Oh… you do one semi-decent thing and now you're my hero? Uh… I need to go… sanitize my mouth."_

 _"Your mouth was all over me… I was an innocent victim."_ He said since he couldn't help but tease her a little bit; all while hoping that one day she wouldn't react so hostile towards him. He wanted her to go after him the same as, if not more than Tyler, but it would take a while; he was patient, he could wait.

 _"Put Tyler back."_ She demanded as she finally got her shirt back on and turned to face him angrily.

 _"Gladly. Then maybe I'll take you up on your offer of… hot hybrid sex."_ He said as he walked over to her and leaned to face her as he raised his eyebrows before walking past her to go back to the cellar. He knew she would follow without him telling her to and he heard a push out a frustrated breath before flashing next to him and putting her jacket back on as they walked. He could tell she was angry as she kept her eyes averted and she stomped more than walked. _"Oh come now love… it's not like I didn't try to stop you…"_

 _"Can we not talk right now?"_

 _"I could have taken advantage of you back there…"_ He pointed out as he tried to defend himself; he would hate if she got violent again while he was in the mutt's body since it would mean she would win.

 _"You call that back there not taking advantage of me?"_

 _"As I said Caroline… I tried to stop you. You were being a bit persistent with your wishes. Had I been as horrible as you think I am I wouldn't have stopped you."_ He countered her question.

 _"You couldn't break away to say 'hey I'm not Tyler I'm Klaus'?"_

 _"Let me make something clear…"_ He said as he stopped and turned to her. _"In your little boyfriend's body… you're stronger than me."_

 _"So put him back…"_

 _"I have to wait until I get my body back… Damon is supposed to be bringing it to Bonnie…"_

 _"Bonnie knew?"_

 _"Of course she knew love… she did it to save all her friends and her mother."_ Klaus explained and saw her turn her head; letting him know her mind was swarming with thoughts as she was on thought-overdrive.

 _"Wait… that would mean… I would have died last night… when Tyler. It was you last night wasn't it?"_

 _"Yes… Bonnie needed me to stay in the cellar and you came down. I thought of the quickest explanation I could to get you out of there…"_ He explained and saw her become angry again; thinking he would have to brace for an attack he shifted his stance a little in preparation.

 _"By lying to me?"_

 _"I had to lie to you then… you would have died had she not done the body transfer so I wouldn't be getting so worked up over it…"_ He stressed and saw her look at him disbelievingly as she narrowed her eyes at him.

 _"You expect me not to get upset that I thought I had to watch as my boyfriend began to die? But it wasn't really my boyfriend… it was YOU in HIS body. Do you have any idea what that did to me?"_

 _"Love…"_

 _"No… you know what… you don't care what you do to others as long as you get what you want. I should have known something was off last night."_ She stated and he would have let his anger get away from him, but hearing her state she had pretty much suspected something to be wrong with him/Tyler the night before made him think he had probably gave a different goodbye than the pup would have.

 _"Are you suggesting the pup wouldn't be selfish and he'd make you leave like I did last night? If there had been truth to what I said about you living he would have made you stay and it would have been a fight."_

 _"You had no right to take that choice away from us…"_

 _"I had every right! What would you have had me do?"_ He asked as he got in her face, but she didn't back down.

 _"You could have told me the truth… I wouldn't have said anything…"_ She said simply and he softened his look towards her; especially since there was more he needed to tell her that would be hard to hear.

 _"Well you needed to say goodbye to him just in case…"_

 _"Just in case what?"_

 _"In case he doesn't survive when our bodies are swapped back."_ He said seriously and looked at her too see her shaking her head as she pulled her hands up to her head and took a couple steps back. _"He could survive or he could die… either way, you and the rest of your little group of friends will survive."_

 _"Why did you use Tyler?"_

 _"It had to be someone that wasn't sired to me… and it would be easier if the person I went into was the same species; I'm sure you can see how easily I narrowed it down."_ Klaus explained as he looked at her and waved his/Tyler's hand between them.

 _"It left me or Tyler…"_

 _"Correct… and out of the two of you I would rather risk his life instead of yours sweetheart. Not to mention… I doubt very much you would have wanted me to use you and have access to your body like that; imagine if got in front of a mirror."_

 _"You're sick…"_

 _"I'm just telling you this could be a completely different conversation right now. Actually… we wouldn't be having a conversation at all because I would have let the council keep him…"_

 _"Why? And why did you leave your sister back there?"_

 _"There was only time to save one of you and she can't be killed; and as for Tyler… his life has no bearing on my choices."_ He answered, even though he had left his sister behind so he could get back at her for killing the doppelganger.

 _"Well mine doesn't either…"_

 _"That is where you're wrong… I would have let Alaric kill Elena and left town had you not been there…"_ Klaus mentioned honestly and couldn't help but wonder why she couldn't believe he had actually worried about her.

 _"That doesn't make sense… Elena's the doppelganger; the only way to make hybrids…"_

 _"And her life was tied to Alaric's… if he had killed her he would have killed himself. And that is another reason I left my sister behind; she's the one responsible for your friend being in transition right now. Her blood is useless to me as a vampire and I don't have much of her blood stored."_

 _"But it still doesn't make sense for you to go to save me; especially if you would have let Elena die when you wanted her blood…"_

 _"Oh did I forget to mention I would have grabbed you on the way out of town love?"_ He asked sarcastically, even though he had thought about it many times over before he had been desiccated.

 _"Why?"_

 _"Isn't it obvious?"_ He asked and she shook her head.

 _"I'm one of your hybrids…"_ She answered when he looked at her doubtfully; she was smart and he refused to believe she didn't understand his attentions towards her.

 _"And?"_

 _"The wild card…"_

 _"And sweetheart?"_ He prodded as he stepped up in her face and she took a step back.

 _"I'm not going into this with you right now… we need to get you back in your body and Tyler back in his…"_

 _"You're evading."_ He responded as he took another step towards her and she flashed past him. With him being in Tyler's body he wasn't as fast as her and she beat him there. When he came into the cellar room he saw her talking to Bonnie.

 _"Why didn't you tell me you were gonna put Klaus in Tyler's body?"_

 _"Because I wasn't sure if it would work…"_ Bonnie replied and he walked over to lean against the wall; wanting to watch her in all her glory as she questioned her friend.

 _"Where's the body? I'll go get it myself… we need to get Tyler back…"_

 _"Damon has the body… but that's not the problem right now…"_

 _"How is it NOT the problem?!"_ Caroline screeched and he resisted the urge to laugh; having finally seen her in action against someone besides himself and Damon. Thinking back on that night he remembered how much he had become distracted by her fierceness, even when his mother was close to succeeding with his demise, and all he had wanted to do was put her against the wall. Then he remembered that he had thought she had purposely distracted him that night, and he hadn't missed how she rubbed at her arms when she first arrived at the top of the stairs; obviously sore from him grabbing her. He pulled away from his memories and back to the discussion between Caroline and the witch so he wouldn't miss anything.

 _"Because the council has Stefan and Elena… Damon and Matt are working to get them back; Meredith and your mom are helping…"_

 _"What are you not telling me?"_ Caroline asked and Klaus had to give her credit; she WAS more than a pretty face.

 _"Elena's in transition still… I can try to bring her back as a human, but I can't guarantee that it will work. If I can't and she doesn't get blood soon she'll die for good."_

 _"No… how… why… how did she not get blood already?"_ He watched Caroline pace around confused as she questioned the witch and wished he could see inside her head at how fast she was thinking.

 _"Stefan and Damon didn't want to force her to turn…"_

 _"I guessed that much…"_ Caroline stated as she rolled her hand around to get the witch talking faster.

 _"The council took them right after…"_

 _"Shit!"_ Caroline screamed and he had to fight really hard to keep from laughing at her then; she didn't cuss often, at least not that he had heard, but she was adorable when she did. He knew he should be more focused on the situation, but watching her react pulled his focus more.

 _"Yeah…"_

 _"So EVERYBODY is in danger now?"_

 _"Jeremy's coming to help me have a connection to Elena… I need you to stay here and keep Klaus occupied so I can concentrate…"_

 _"You have NO idea how much you are gonna owe me if I have to be around him for too long…"_

 _"I'm sorry Care… I'm doing everything I can…"_

 _"I know… I mean… if Damon told you where the body is I could go get it and I wouldn't have to endure his company…"_

 _"I've endured it since yesterday…"_

 _"Uh this sucks!"_ She exclaimed and turned to look at him with a scowl on her face and he raised an eyebrow at her, causing her to raise a finger and point it at him. _"Okay you… we're going to play the quiet game and if you do not keep quiet I'll punch you the second you're back in your own body…"_

 _"Whatever you say sweetheart…"_ He said casually and held up his hands in false surrender; he was just amused that she thought he would actually listen to her. But then again… she was stronger than him while in Tyler's body and he would hate it if she actually beat him in a fight, so he thought he might compromise a little.

 _"Starting now."_ She said and he raised his eyebrows up before taking a seat and stretching out to relax during his wait. She huffed and turned back to Bonnie. _"Problem solved; please concentrate as quick as you safely can…"_

 _"Thanks Care…"_

 _"Don't thank me yet… you're hosting the next girl's night."_

 _"Bring your own alcohol."_

 _"Duh."_ Caroline replied and went to pick up a grimoire to look through. He didn't know if she was reading to try and help the witch find something she could use or if she was trying to avoid him, but he assumed the latter. He didn't know how much she would understand from the book anyway because it was written in Latin; and from his file on her Latin was not a language she knew. He thought she may have picked it up since she became a hybrid and she had a witch friend.

He kept quiet mainly so he wouldn't have to argue with her again since he didn't want to make her think even worse of him than she already did; watching her go over each page as her lips would sometimes move to form words as she read. She eventually put the book down and looked around as if she could find what she was looking for. She looked at Bonnie and motioned for her purse; receiving a nod she dug through it until she found a pen and some sticky notes. Bonnie gave a little chuckle at her but shook her head when Caroline gave her a look and he could almost hear her saying seriously in her head. His interest grew when she started making little notes on the sticky notes and putting them on pages she had already looked at before moving on to the pages she had yet to read.

When Jeremy arrived he gave him a glance but ignored him mostly as the boy went over to Bonnie and they went into another area to work through a spell. He looked at Caroline to see her watching her friends leave before smiling and shaking her head; no doubt thinking about their past relationship and how they were now. She didn't spare him a glance and he had about all the quiet time he could stand so he walked over and picked up the book she had just put down as she started a new one. She gave him a look and tried to take the book back but he held it away from her with a challenging look on his face.

 _"That's not yours…"_

 _"Well it isn't yours either sweetheart."_ He retorted as he tried again to smirk, but he couldn't get the mutt's face to work right.

 _"I have Bonnie's permission to look through these… you don't."_

 _"I'm just curious as to what you been scribbling for the past little bit…"_ He stated as he began flipping through the pages, but she reached over and tried to take it away again.

 _"None of your business."_

 _"When did you pick up Latin?"_ He asked when he had effectively kept the book out of reach and she huffed in defeat.

 _"Right before you turned me."_

 _"Why?"_ He asked curiously and she shrugged her shoulders a little, but when he looked at her to show her shrug wouldn't cut it she huffed again.

 _"I wanted to… and one of my best friends is a witch. You never know when you may need it."_

 _"Why do you hide your intelligence?"_ He asked further and saw her shake her head and look away.

 _"I don't…"_ She started but he could tell she was lying already; Damon had been right, she couldn't lie very well at all.

 _"Now, now sweetheart… that isn't true. You're in the top of your class and I've found you know a lot more than anyone knows you know."_

 _"Well maybe that's a good thing."_ Caroline countered and he looked at her in thought as he pondered the reason she would think that.

 _"How so?"_

 _"Because then people underestimate me and THAT gives me an advantage when I need one."_ She said seriously before returning to the book in front of her. He knew she was right about that; not only would they underestimate her, but they wouldn't involve her in the big plans because they wouldn't think she could do them. He wondered if she had realized that second part or not on her own, but figured she probably had.

 _"See… much more than a pretty face…"_ He repeated his phrase from earlier and saw her halt before looking at him.

 _"Will you not bring that up?"_ She asked and he wanted to tell her that she would be hearing that often, but he resisted the urge to do so; he fully believed in it though.

 _"I was giving you a compliment…"_ He tried to reason but she cut him off.

 _"By rubbing it in my face what happened earlier? Thanks."_ She said sarcastically and he chuckled.

 _"That was not my intention love…"_ He tried again, but she just passed him off.

 _"Whatever."_

 _"Suit yourself… I just figured we could try to have a pleasant conversation to pass the time since your friend is more preoccupied with the doppelganger than giving Tyler back his body."_ Klaus said and knew he would get a rise out of her; and that was irresistible.

 _"Klaus… Elena doesn't have long before she WILL die; the body swap doesn't have a time limit as you well know…"_

 _"Still… the longer I'm in his body, the higher the chances of him dying are."_ He continued and watched her visibly flinch; he knew she didn't want to believe that Tyler could die, but she DID need to understand it was a possibility.

 _"You were in Alaric's body once… didn't that last a couple days? And he DID survive it as a human when you were a vampire…"_

 _"And he also had a ring that would bring him back if he didn't survive. Might I mention that seeing you as a blonde Jackie at the 60's dance was distracting to say the least…"_ He offered and she shot him a glare. He had decided to try and change the subject and it seemed to have worked by mentioning he had seen her when he was in Alaric's body; even if his eyes hadn't lingered on her long then.

 _"I'm sure it was, although I'm starting to believe you're easily distracted."_

 _"Not usually love."_ He stated honestly as he looked at her, but she didn't look back at him.

 _"If only there was a spell that would make you quiet for a little while…"_ She mused out loud and turned back to the books. He chuckled and moved closer as he leaned over to see what she was reading; causing her to finally pull her eyes away from the book to look at him.

 _"You would be awfully bored if you actually found one that would work."_ He supplied as he resisted looking down to her lips; he was still in the mutt's body after all, and he wanted her to kiss him when he was actually himself.

 _"I could use some boredom so it you don't mind… be quiet."_ She insisted and he raised his hands in fake surrender and leaned a little bit away from her. A few minutes later her head jerked up as she pulled her hair back; he also hearing the sounds of Bonnie doing the spell to try and bring Elena back over to being alive and human. She quickly told him to stay there as she went to look inside the room Bonnie was in. He watched her brace her hands against the door frame, likely fighting with herself to keep herself back so Bonnie could do the spell. When her eyes bulged and she nodded her head and put her hands out in front of her he assumed she was motioning to Jeremy to do something, but he couldn't be sure so she stood to walk over and get a look himself; he didn't need the witch dying before he got put back in his body.

He knew the witch would be weakened from the spell, if not killed so he grabbed Caroline by the arms and made her go with him out of hearing range. She put up a fight, he'd give her that, but he told her she needed to concentrate and she could mess her up; which was what she was supposed to be doing to him. So he started talking about everything that would happen once he got his body back; how he'd go find more wolves to turn, how she would have to eventually meet other alphas, and that he had information on her wolf line he needed to tell her. She asked what it was and he told her she would have to wait until he was back in his body to get that answer because it was important information that he wouldn't risk other people knowing about. She had huffed before nodding and then continuing on to say she would NOT meet other alphas because she wasn't going to just drop her life and do as he said. Then she asked him why he would make more hybrids if his mother & father and Alaric were all dead; to which he replied that there could always be something else pop up.

Hybrids were a touchy subject for her; he could see that. She asked if they would have a choice or if he would just force it on them like he had her and Tyler. He replied he was going to be more specific in his turnings because he had a limited amount of blood to work with; but if those he selected did not want to be turned and he felt it was necessary that they did then he would force his hand. She got angry as he suspected she would; saying it wasn't right to take someone's choice away from them. He knew he wouldn't get anywhere with this subject because they had already argued about it before so he switched topics; asking her what she had planned after everything settled down.

She didn't answer for a while, but when she did she said it depended on whether or not Tyler would be alive when he vacated Tyler's body. Before he could reply she cut him off saying she would be doing what she had been doing; going through her father's things and trying to help her friends. He didn't really think she should waste her time on her friends but didn't comment on it; saying she needed to go out and enjoy herself somewhere along the way of her plans. She simply responded that she does before flashing past him to go check on her friend; him flashing right behind her.

Apparently Bonnie had gone on the other side and had tried to pull Elena back but something had gone wrong. The witch was crying and saying that the spirits had hurt her grandmother for attempting the spell and not stopping when she was warned. Hearing her say that the doppelganger would have to feed to survive he knew it would be a waste of time to let her keep looking for a way to help the girl. So he asked Jeremy if he knew where his body was and the boy nodded, so he asked him to tell him so the boy and Caroline could go retrieve it; since everyone else was more focused on the doppelganger. Caroline told him to just tell her so she wouldn't have to flash a body and him on the way back. Reluctantly the boy told her and she left to go retrieve it.

She wasn't gone long when she came back in and tossed his body to him before walking over to Bonnie to read over the spell she would have to use. That's when Bonnie told them she couldn't do the spell until she had enough power to pull it off. That's when he let his anger come out as he placed his body on the ground and stomped over towards the witch. She said she couldn't use the magic she had been using again and they needed to wait until she had enough power, but he didn't feel like waiting. Caroline stepped in to try and calm him down by saying that Bonnie hadn't said she wasn't going to do it; she just needed to wait until she was strong enough to do the spell with traditional magic.

He refused to be stuck in the mutt's body any longer so he forced his/Tyler's hand to shift enough to form claws as he ripped at the top of the shirt he was wearing and forced the claws inside the chest his was borrowing. When Caroline asked what he was doing he said he was ripping Tyler's heart out; that he could jump into anyone, maybe even Jeremy next. Jeremy said he would need a witch to do that, but he turned it around; asking them what made them think he didn't have one or tons before looking back to Bonnie and making her choose between herself and Tyler. Caroline moved to stop him from pushing the claws in any further, but he looked right at her and pushed a little further; saying he didn't want to hurt her so she should do her best to stay back. She looked between him and Bonnie before putting her hands on her head and he pushed even further in as he looked back to Bonnie. And then the witch gave in and said she'd do it so he pulled the claws out; making them all breathe a short breath of relief before getting everything set up to do the switch.

Klaus laid down by his body and Bonnie set all the materials around him before she began to chant. Once again he felt like he was dying as he slipped from the foreign body back to his own and Bonnie had to feed him a bag of blood before he could sit up and feed himself some more. Once he was able to move around he saw Tyler was still out and it looked like he was dead, but by then Caroline had moved to sit beside him and was asking Bonnie what was wrong. The mutt looked like he was desiccated like he had been and he heard Bonnie tell her he could just need blood. He saw Caroline bite into her arm before she opened Tyler's mouth and held her arm over his mouth; as she started quietly begging the boy to wake up.

He thought Tyler wasn't going to wake up when the blood just pooled in his mouth until it flowed over, but Caroline started being more forceful with her pleas; probably not even aware she was issuing commands instead of begging. But what did surprise him was that her command worked with him; Tyler hadn't been dead yet so he was forced to comply to her commands. He was about to leave but he stopped when he saw Tyler latch onto her arm roughly and she started weakening against the blood loss. She didn't stop him for a bit until she looked like she would pass out and then she started telling him to stop; having to make it a command for him to actually do so. She even managed to hold him back when he started to lunge for the witch and the human beside her before he snapped out of the blood daze desiccation can create in a vampire; getting him to go for the blood bags.

He didn't want to watch anymore so he left to go to his mansion. He didn't care what happened to the others in town so he wanted to leave; just take the doppelganger blood and go on the hunt for more wolves. He got everything packed up and ready to go when he put the blood bags containing Elena's blood on ice and ready to go; and then his sister made her arrival known as she asked how he dared rescue Caroline and not her. He was still angry that she had killed the doppelganger, accidentally making her into a vampire, and he only had 3 bags of blood to make hybrids; so he told her that out of her and Caroline she couldn't be killed and he only had time to save one. She was furious with him and threw one of the bags, causing it to bust from impact. He had screamed no and was about to retaliate but when he turned back around he saw her holding the 2 remaining bags and knew he had to calm her down. She had accused him of not caring when she had always been there and loved him through everything; even when their brothers had not. He tried to get her to give the bags back but she squeezed them; causing the blood to squirt out and spill uselessly to the floor before tossing the bags to the floor with the blood.

Then he snapped as he stepped forward and put his hands around his sister's throat; if he didn't love her as much as he did he would find the white oak stake and kill her for what she had done. He wanted her to suffer so he told her she was right; that he didn't care and she wasn't anything to him, just nothing before he snapped her neck and walked out of the house. If she thought he hadn't cared before he'd show her the difference. He would leave her behind and go off with his hybrids; leaving his first two behind until the time was right to collect at least his favorite one.

 ** _Caroline POV…_**

Tyler was alive and she couldn't feel anything but relief; not even caring anymore that Klaus had aggravated her prior to getting Tyler back. He couldn't remember what happened while Klaus was in his body, but she didn't want said hybrid to be the one to tell him as he tried to use it against her later; so she told him everything. Bonnie began the story from the beginning so he could understand that she had been trying to save their lives, and then Caroline told him what had happened. He was absolutely livid and had pushed her away; only to chase after her when she had yelled fine and went to leave. It hadn't been her fault that she hadn't known it was Klaus in his body, and she wasn't going to stand there and hear Tyler throw accusations at her.

When he caught up to her he apologized and said it wasn't her fault so she stopped walking away. But he wasn't finished; he kept on telling her that it was good she figured it out because he didn't think he would be able to overlook it all had it went further. Then he said he wouldn't overlook Klaus' actions during the body swap, because like her he thought he could have stopped it sooner. She knew he was feeling jealous so she tried to comfort him as she wrapped her arms around him. He pulled back to kiss her and she couldn't help but notice a huge difference in kissing him; completely different from when Klaus was in his body.

She didn't let it stop her and she drifted in her thoughts. Of course Klaus would know how to kiss; he was a thousand years old so he would know exactly how to make it good. Tyler must have noticed a difference in her because he pulled back; saying it was probably a crazy enough day for her and he understood if it was difficult for her to kiss him after earlier. That hadn't been the problem but she nodded to agree with him; knowing if she tried to say anything he would know it wasn't. They still couldn't go home because of the council looking for them so they stretched in the sleeping bags he had in the cellar.


	15. Chapter 15

***Quick Author Note: I know some of you have been asking how close I'm going to keep this story to canon, but this chapter will be where it starts showing the split from canon. There will still be certain parts from the show, but the story is going to start going in a different direction; these changes starting now, aside from the wolf histories and Caroline being a hybrid and Matt being a vampire, you're going to see a lot more changes. If anyone has any questions they can message me or leave a review since I try to answer back to those as quickly as I can too. Thanks again for all the favs, follows, and reviews. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 15**

It had been a few days since Klaus had left and she was enjoying not having him hovering over them like a dark cloud constantly, but then she heard that he was returning. She and Tyler had only been home for a couple days since the council had been blown up by Pastor Young and it erased the trace of them being vampires. Then out of nowhere Tyler had been attacked and a needle had been shoved into his gum line; extracting wolf venom from him. He had told all the others so they could be on the lookout for any kind of attack from the guy; it looked like they had a hunter on the loose now.

She hadn't panicked until Pastor Young's funeral when Tyler had stepped up in front of the audience to draw the hunter's attention to him because Elena was losing control and the hunter already knew he was a vampire. The rest of them stood still, breathing slowly as they faced the front and pretended to listen to Tyler talking when a gunshot rang loud and she saw the bullet hit him in the chest. Everyone stepped into action as Tyler was taken out of there and she had to keep Elena from draining Pastor Young's daughter, April who had been their friend for years.

Once everything was taken care of her mother insisted she went home and tried to stay out of the way of the hunter. She listened, but she called Tyler repeatedly to check on him. He may be a hybrid and a bullet wouldn't kill him, but it would still hurt and she mentally needed to know he was alright. She kept asking to come over but he would tell her it was safer and better if she stayed home. So she went to work on finding her father's journal; she had over half the room cleared out so it wouldn't be long before she found it. So for the next couple days she spent most of her time between helping Stefan help Elena and digging through the cell.

However, she wanted a break and wanted to spend it with Tyler so she ditched Rebekah's ditching party to go see him. He looked at her strangely when he had opened the door but she came in anyway. He told her it was a really bad time and saw a couple guys come into the room with them; and after finding out they were hybrid bodyguards she went right back to being broody like Stefan since it meant Klaus was back in town. And to make things worse in her opinion he strolled into the room they were standing in with that smug smirk placed on his face; and she wanted nothing more than to smack it off his face.

He turned to one of the hybrids and told him to gather the alphas and bring them to him; and she knew he wouldn't change his mind. She squared her shoulders as she said it didn't matter how many alphas he had under his belt because she wasn't changing her mind. She gave Tyler a kiss and turned to leave to see a few guys coming into the door so she froze. She looked back to Tyler and then to Klaus to see Klaus raise his hand and gesture towards the men that had just stepped into the house. She shook her head no and grabbed Tyler's hand to try and go out of the side of the house but Klaus flashed in front of them.

 _"Now now sweetheart… all you have to do is meet them right now…"_

 _"Go to hell Klaus…"_ She hissed at him, but he held up his hand and she quieted so a fight didn't start; she didn't want to chance Tyler getting hurt.

 _"Manners Caroline… there are 4 alphas; my apologies but I can't make any more since there is no more human doppelganger blood. Do you really think you can stand against customs that were created centuries ago? By your own ancestors as well as others?"_

 _"I don't really care… these are what we call modern times and things are different now."_ She replied honestly as she tried to keep the anger and sarcasm out of her response; not as good as she had planned, but still halfway descent.

 _"Either way… you still have to meet them."_ He insisted and she clenched her hands into fists until she realized she was still holding onto Tyler's hand and was breaking it.

 _"I don't have to meet anyone Klaus."_ She tried again when she saw his smug face from looking at Tyler's hand.

 _"If you choose not to meet them I'm sure Tyler would like to go against them all when they learn you chose a normal wolf instead of an alpha like yourself… it is a punishable act love."_

 _"Fine… but I'm not going to pick any of them."_ She seethed and Klaus told Tyler it was best to stay back in case things got intense. He wouldn't leave the room, but he hung back enough to keep out of the way and be there for her at the same time. She looked back and gave him a smile that she would give when they had a secret between them before turning to the other alphas in annoyance.

 _"This is Caroline… an alpha female; the only hybrid alpha female. I wanted her to meet you all."_ Klaus introduced her and she didn't move as she looked between each one. She shook her head and looked to Klaus.

 _"You didn't really think I would fall for any of them, did you? Because I have to say I think you've lost what mind you had."_ She said and turned to walk back to Tyler as they stepped forward behind her and Klaus stepped back to watch what would happen. When Caroline noticed they had stepped with her and was going to follow her she turned and put all the authority she could into a command. _"Leave me alone! Do not come near me ever again or I will rip your heads from your bodies and then bury you where no one would ever find you."_ She finished and stomped off, grabbing Tyler's hand again and leaving the room.

 _"Would you really kill them like that?"_ Tyler asked and she looked at him like he couldn't be serious; he knew her better than that.

 _"I haven't killed anybody yet Tyler… I wouldn't waste my time killing them; I just needed them to think I would…"_ She clarified for him with a small secretive smile, but he looked like he was worried about something.

 _"You gave a command. They followed it like any other wolf."_

 _"That's because I'm the first alpha female in my line… I get a little more wiggle room."_ She explained and smiled at him before they both started laughing. But then she remembered that Klaus had said it could cause problems for Tyler. _"Now you know which ones are alphas… you need to avoid them; just in case."_

 _"We'll be alright."_

 _"Yeah… well I'm gonna go. I'm feeling better now that I've seen how you are and I need to get back to searching."_ Caroline said as she leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

 _"Love you…"_

 _"I love you too."_ She responded as she opened one of the windows and climbed out so she could avoid everyone else. She felt better and was smiling to herself when she flashed back towards the forest to get to the Forbes cellar.

 ** _Klaus POV…_**

He watched her turn his alphas down, inwardly smirking because there weren't any other alphas for her to choose but him, but he didn't let it show. He explained to the stunned looking alphas that watched her leave the room that she was the first alpha female in her line; and it looked as if her line was stronger than theirs. Then he dismissed them with the orders to leave her alone in the future as he listened in on her and Tyler talking. He almost chuckled when she told Tyler she wouldn't really kill them and that they just had to believe she would; not even knowing the power she had within herself. But he knew it was only a matter of time before the mutt made a slip that would end their relationship; and then it would give him the opportunity to step in.

When Caroline had left he heard Tyler begin a phone call and stayed where he was since the boy thought he wasn't being heard. He could pick up on a female voice and the manner of which Tyler was speaking; making him realize the boy HAD already slipped but hadn't been caught yet. He waited until the call had ended to make his presence known and seeing Tyler's stance change as his eyes widened.

 _"Now that sounded like an interesting call mate…"_

 _"I was talking to a friend."_

 _"A friend that happens to be a female. Let me guess… she's a wolf; a common wolf like yourself?"_ Klaus inquired as he watched the pup squirm around in his spot.

 _"She's just a friend…"_ Tyler began insisting but Klaus didn't feel like hearing any of it; the boy had been a thorn in his side since day one.

 _"I'm guessing you had a little bit of extracurricular activities when you were in the Appalachian Mountains breaking my sire bond."_ Klaus spoke as he began theorizing out loud, but Tyler interrupted him; for once Klaus inwardly laughed at getting interrupted because the boy's guilt was shining through.

 _"You don't know anything…"_

 _"No I don't know anything mate, but let me theorize for you. You went down there to break my sire bond. There was a pack you sought help with; and in that pack was a girl. You spend time together as FRIENDS but after all the intensity of breaking the sire bond and the thick energy you and her shared… the emotions ran high and the inhibitions ran low; and it all became too much for you to resist."_ Klaus let his thoughts spew out and watched as Tyler's fidgeting grew into small shakes.

 _"Stop!"_ Tyler yelled as he turned and faced him; letting Klaus know he was right, but another thing ran through his mind. Caroline had just been there and nothing seemed wrong from her end, so she wouldn't know.

 _"And Caroline has absolutely no idea, does she?"_ He asked and saw the color drain from the mutt's face as the boy's phone began to ring. Seeing Tyler looking worried he walked around to pick up the phone instead; seeing it was Damon calling to ask Tyler to go hunter hunting with him. He replied that Tyler was a bit busy with tasks concerning honesty, but his mood slightly improved with the knowledge that it wouldn't be much longer before Caroline knew so he agreed to go with Damon. He stood and left Tyler still standing there looking worried, but not before turning with a smirk to let him know the game was on. _"I suggest you tell her… it wouldn't do you good for the only one risking their life to save you to begin hating you. I think I'll let you settle this… after all, it's your mess."_

 ** _Caroline POV…_**

She got a text from Tyler saying Klaus had left his house but had left his hybrids there to watch him and she debated going back, but with the progress she had made that day on the cellar had her motivated. She told him she would come over the next day because she wanted to do some more digging. So she went back to searching as she managed to clear out about half of what was left in the room; making sure she put everything into another cell so she wouldn't accidentally throw the journal away if she missed it by chance. She would have continued but she got a call from Stefan asking if she would come over and help him out with something.

When she got to the boarding house she realized it had grown dark outside and made her way inside. He told her about what had happened at the ditching party before she made him tell her what the real problem he called her over for was. He began by telling her that he had spent most of the day trying to help Elena, which she already knew from being at school with them earlier, but she let him talk. When he said he saw her enjoy herself for a moment after the party where she embraced being a vampire, he was happy for her; but he had wanted to be able to enjoy it with her. Then she knew what he was getting at; he couldn't let himself go and just feel because he was scared of becoming a ripper again, and he wanted help. He said that since he thought she was so good at being a vampire he wanted to get her help; and after telling him that it was because of him and her friends, plus her father, that she was good at it did she say that any time he needed her to call.

Feeling better that Stefan was more motivated in getting himself under control and would call her if he needed help, she went home. She knew tomorrow would be a long day and she hoped she could find the journal by the end of it; if she didn't she would have to search through everything again. Then there was Tyler; they wanted to spend time with each other but he was under house arrest and Klaus would likely be there. She didn't know what to do about the older hybrid; he wouldn't leave her alone, but there were times he seemed honest when he was talking to her. And in those moments of honesty he almost seemed concerned; she could see him as a person instead of a monster. She didn't know what to think about it and she kept telling herself it was part of his act to get her to let her guard down so she wouldn't. Not wanting to think anymore she flashed herself home and went to bed.

 ** _2 days later, after school…_**

Caroline was stopping at the grill to talk to Matt since she hadn't talked to him lately when she decided to pick her and Tyler up something. While she was waiting on the food to get done she caught up with Matt about everything that had been going on. When the food was handed to her she turned to leave but picked up the scent of wolf and looked around; it was just a wolf and not a hybrid. She pushed her hair behind her ears so she could listen in on the chatter throughout the grill until she caught up with a female saying Tyler's name and she looked in the direction it was coming from. There stood a brunette girl about her age asking some of the customers if they knew Tyler and how to get to his house. She thought it was weird but didn't want to cause a scene so she walked by the girl, moving slow enough she could pick up that she was a hybrid; her plan working perfectly when the girl followed her outside and to her car.

 _"You're a hybrid aren't you?"_ The girl asked and Caroline turned to look at her. She still felt uneasy not knowing how this girl knew Tyler, and if she was a threat, so she knew she had to play this carefully.

 _"Yeah… who are you?"_ Caroline replied and asked suspiciously, but didn't let too much suspicion show.

 _"I'm Hayley… I'm looking for Tyler. Since you're a hybrid you should know him…"_ Hayley continued as if she wasn't talking to a hybrid that could easily kill her; not wanting to hear her talking on and on she cut her off.

 _"Yeah I know him… I'm actually headed that way anyway. Want a ride?"_ Caroline offered so she could interrogate Hayley further.

 _"That would be great."_ The girl gushed and she unlocked her car so she and the girl could get in. She wanted to know who the girl was and what she wanted with her boyfriend; if she was dangerous she would take her out of the equation before she could blink. Once they were buckled in and she had started driving towards the Lockwood mansion she decided to question her.

 _"So how do you know Tyler?"_ Caroline asked casually to make it seem like they were just having idle chit-chat and get the girl to spill the important details.

 _"Oh… Ty and I met down in the Appalachians."_ Hayley replied and Caroline inwardly scowled. Ty? Who was this girl calling her boyfriend Ty? Nobody called him that that she knew of except Matt, but of course the girl mentioned meeting him in the Appalachians, so it explained that part a little. Still… there was something she felt she was missing and she had an uneasy feeling growing inside of her.

 _"When he broke his sire bond?"_ Caroline questioned and Hayley turned to look at her funny.

 _"You know about that?"_ Hayley asked and Caroline began to wonder what all this girl had been told about the town, her friends, and the situation they had all been in for a while now.

 _"Yeah… everyone knows about that; well everyone supernatural in town."_ Caroline answered as if it wasn't anything particularly special and saw the brunette look a little confused before shaking her head and speaking.

 _"Well yea… he came down there to break his sire bond and we spent a lot of time together."_ Hayley explained and Caroline wondered just how much time they HAD spent together; and what they had been doing. Then she mentally scolded herself for thinking that; Tyler had been worried about her doing that to him, so she didn't want to believe he had done that to her after making such a big deal about it all.

 _"So you two are friends then?"_ Caroline asked curiously as she tried to keep her thoughts positive, but seeing the girl look like she was off in her thoughts and biting her lips brought her uneasy feeling back.

 _"Well I would say more than friends… I thought I would show up and surprise him."_ Hayley replied and Caroline felt like she had been punched in the gut. She didn't let her face, body, or voice change so she could find out exactly how much more than friends she thought they was.

 _"I don't mean to pry… but after the past few days I think it's only fair to ask if you're a danger to him. No one would really take to you too well if you planned to hurt him."_ Caroline stated evenly and saw Hayley look at her like she was crazy for suggesting that.

 _"I wouldn't hurt him… I'm crazy about him."_

 _"And how does he feel for you?"_ Caroline asked accidentally, but kept her eyes on the road.

 _"Why do you ask?"_ Hayley inquired and Caroline could have sworn she heard jealousy in her tone, so she decided to downplay her reasons for asking.

 _"Just curious… if you two were so close then why didn't he stay down there?"_ She asked and saw the girl sigh before answering.

 _"He said he had to come back for his mom and his friends."_ Hayley replied and Caroline couldn't help but notice she had left out 'girlfriend' in that list. _"But anyway… I got to missing him and I know he's been missing me so I thought I would show up; especially since Klaus can't make me a hybrid now that he doesn't have doppelganger blood to make more."_

 _"So he was afraid Klaus would turn you if he brought you back with him before?"_ Caroline asked as her mind pictured Tyler and this girl beside her down in the Appalachians; when in all actuality Caroline realized Tyler hadn't been gone for too long, long enough to miss him, but she hadn't thought it was long enough for him to fuck around on her.

 _"Yeah that's what he said…"_ Hayley replied and Caroline inwardly rolled her eyes before asking further.

 _"Are you sure that's all it was? I mean… the regular vampires didn't like Klaus keeping hybrids in town unless they were from here…"_ Caroline mentioned as she remembered the other hybrids hadn't been around until Tyler had gotten shot.

 _"Well that too I guess. But before he left to come back we could barely keep our hands off of each other and ever since he's been gone we've only been able to call each other."_ Hayley bragged and Caroline felt the bile rise in her throat; she couldn't believe Tyler had cheated on her after everything, especially after accusing her of cheating with both Matt and Klaus.

 _"Sounds tragically romantic."_ Caroline said to give herself time to think, but Hayley kept talking.

 _"Oh he is romantic… being with him is just amazing."_ The girl gushed and Caroline felt her anger surfacing; she wanted to kill this girl and Tyler both, even though she knew she wouldn't.

 _"So you're his girlfriend?"_ Caroline asked as she waited for the girl to hit the final nail in the coffin as she pulled into the drive to the mansion.

 _"Yea… we've been waiting on a good time to actually be together because of Klaus, but since he can't turn me then it won't be a problem."_

 _"Good for you."_ She said as she unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door to get out, with the brunette doing the same on the other side of the car. But instead of going inside like she had originally planned she faced the house and leaned back against the passenger side of her car with her arms crossed across her chest as Haley walked up to the door excitedly and began knocking. When Tyler opened the door he welcomed her with a smile as Hayley threw her arms around his neck; but then he saw her leaning against her car. _"Thought I'd give your girlfriend a lift Tyler."_ She stated and tilted her head as she saw the other hybrids come out behind him; Klaus included.

 _"Care… it's not what you think…"_ Tyler began but Caroline started laughing and he froze; it was rare she became so angry she broke out into laughing.

 _"Oh it's exactly what I think Tyler. You see… Hayley and I had a little talk on the way here."_ Caroline finally said as she looked back up to him; she felt betrayed and humiliated. She kept thinking of ways to get back at him without killing him as Hayley began talking.

 _"Tyler who is she? Have you been cheating on me?"_ Hayley questioned and Caroline gave up a laugh that had her whole body shaking.

 _"Now THAT is priceless! Let me tell you something new girl… Tyler was cheating; it just wasn't on you."_ She said with a smirk and replaced her arms across her chest as Hayley looked between her and Tyler looking embarrassed, but angry. _"You're the one he was cheating with if I didn't explain it thoroughly enough for you."_ Caroline continued and she had to hand it to herself; she didn't shed one tear, even though she knew she would be balling later.

 _"Ty what is she talking about? You told me you didn't have a girlfriend…"_

 _"I didn't say that so I could do anything… I was trying to keep other wolves from coming here…"_ Tyler tried to explain and Caroline leaned back to listen to Tyler scrambling for excuses. She could feel eyes on her and knew Klaus was looking at her, but she ignored it as she focused on Tyler and Hayley.

 _"And getting turned… which is what you told me to keep me from coming back with you."_

 _"Well obviously he lied to you Hayley… but you weren't the only one he lied to so I guess it doesn't matter. He's your problem now… enjoy."_ Caroline cut in between them before pushing off of her car and walking around and reaching in the back seat to get the food she had picked up at the grill and tossing it straight for Tyler; hitting him in the face and making the food go all over him. She gave a little smile when she saw his eyes flash gold and Carol came outside asking what was going on. _"Carol I would go back inside if I were you. Tyler's not exactly in control right now and it would be safer for you in there."_ Caroline instructed with a sincere face towards Carol; and after looking at Tyler she went back inside.

 _"Why did you do that?"_ Tyler asked as he took a couple steps, but stopped when she glared at him.

 _"Do what? Throw food at you or make sure YOUR mom was safe?"_ Caroline asked sarcastically and saw him wipe at his face again before flicking some of the food off of his shirt.

 _"You really think throwing food at me is the best way to resolve this?"_ He asked and she could have sworn he was talking like she was a child throwing a temper tantrum; if he wanted a tantrum she'd give him one.

 _"No I think throwing my car at you would be better, but I happen to like my car and I've helped your mom redecorate the house so I wouldn't want to damage that either."_ Caroline replied as she acted like her former shallow self and added a lot of her inner bitch in on it; mentally hive-fiving said inner bitch when she had stopped.

 _"You're making a scene… we need to talk about this somewhere else…"_

 _"I don't really care what you have to say to me. You can say it was an accident and that you didn't mean to all you want, but it doesn't matter; you still messed up. I don't think we have anything left to say to each other."_ She stated and got into her car, starting it up and speeding out of there knowing she spewed gravel everywhere but she didn't care anymore. She went back to the grill and told Matt what happened as she asked for a fifth of vodka before calling Elena and Bonnie to tell them; not wanting to bother them but wanting them to know she was going to be busy for a while and not to disturb her.

Dropping her car off at home and explaining what happened to her mother she left to go back to the Forbes cellar. She was determined to not come out again until she had found her father's journal and had her questions answered. She began drinking while she broke everything else apart and started picking through the pieces one by one. Hours later she was already sobered back up from the barely buzzed she had been from the fifth of vodka when she found a pillow that felt too heavy to be a pillow. She tore into it and a small, but thick book fell out of it. Picking it up she examined it as she opened it and a piece of paper fell from the floor. Picking it up she read over it carefully:

 **Caroline,**

 **If you're reading this it means I'm no longer with you. I wrote this over the year before you knew you were a wolf so there may be things you already know, but there will be important things that you won't that you'll need to know. I did everything I could to protect you until you could protect yourself. I may not have been the best father in your eyes but I do love you and I want what's best for you. When you are finished reading the journal you need to destroy it. The information is safer inside your mind than on paper and in the wrong hands it could be dangerous for you so do not keep it around and do not tell anyone unless you have to. Be safe. I will always love you.**

 **Bill**

She reread it a couple times before holding the letter over a candle she had lit a while back to watch it burn and fall to the floor in ashes. She listened closely to make sure no one was near before putting the journal inside her purse and flashing home; she was not letting the journal out of her reach until she could read it all and burn it. Walking inside the empty house she sagged against the door to let everything from the day sink in before pushing herself to move to her room. Once she got there she gathered her things for a shower, and for once she took her purse with her into the bathroom. When she was done she got her clothes on quickly and took her purse with her back to her room. She decided to stay home the next day and read on the journal instead of going out with her friends. With a plan in motion she picked up her mattress to slide the book under it for when she was asleep and turned the light off; going to sleep exhausted.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Waking up had never been one of Caroline's favorite parts of the day, but today was one of those days that would not get better as the day progressed. Huffing in defeat when she couldn't go back to sleep she pulled herself from the bed to go feed. She saw her mom in the kitchen and was a little surprised she was home, but when she heard it would be a double-shift later her surprise went away. They ate breakfast together before Liz went to bed to get some sleep before her shift and Caroline finally got her blood bag before she went to read. She went into her room and pulled the curtains closed so no one would be able to spy on her before lifting the mattress and pulled the journal back out.

She started reading it like she did any other book, but she quickly realized that the beginning of the journal was mostly stuff she already knew so she picked up her reading pace. An hour later she had finally gotten to information that she needed to know thanks to her father's handwriting slowing her down. She found a part talking about alpha females and threw her pillow out of frustration when she read that Klaus had been right; she was supposed to choose an alpha male. Rolling her eyes and taking a calming breath she read on until she came to the part where her family had gone to a witch centuries ago to find a way to have females because they had been cursed with only males. The witch had told her family that the curse wasn't permanent and she couldn't tell them how to break it; but when a female was born she would be stronger than any other wolf in her family line and she would bring changes when she was older.

She put the book down in front of her and thought about that little piece of information. What could it mean by changes? Was her being a hybrid the changes the witch was referring to? Why couldn't the witch tell them how to break the curse? How had it broken anyway? She was a female so something her parents had done had broken it; maybe it was the fact her mother wasn't a wolf like her father she theorized. With questions answered it only brought more questions so she rubbed her face and brought the book back up to continue reading.

The rest of the journal was like stepping back in time. She found out officially that Forbes was not her family's original name, but the original name wasn't mentioned. Her ancestors had traveled numerous times because of the witch hunts, which included hunting werewolves and vampires, before abandoning their name and using a Scottish name; since they were residing in what would be called Scotland today. Another thing she read was that her family had only had one child each generation to carry on the bloodline, but she couldn't find if it was by choice or part of the curse to have boys instead of girls.

She read faster and faster until she was at the origins of her wolf line. It turned out that once upon a time her family was one of the wealthiest in their lands and a witch became jealous of being a lower station than the other families; so she cursed them. The witch chose the 9 most prominent families in the lands to represent the tree Yggdrasil in order to gain attention and favor from the gods. During the time they turned they would be one of three colors; white, gray, and tan. When the witch did not receive anything from the gods she cursed the rest of the families to turn into wolves, but the amount of magic she had used was too much for her to handle so the families turned after the first 9 were not as strong or special and were given the coat color black. The gods/spirits did not take kindly to her turning everyone in the village into wolves so they stripped the witch of her powers and cursed her to become a lesser wolf; so the first 9 families would always be better than her.

But the problem didn't stop there. One of the white wolves had a son that had to turn into a wolf like him, but he had been courting the witch's younger sister when the curse had been placed on all of them. When the son had been forced to end their courtship the younger witch had been furious and placed the curse on them preventing them from having a female; since an alpha female would be stronger and she wanted them to be weak. The gods/spirits had stepped back in to strip the younger witch's powers like her sister, but they did not turn her into a wolf; they prevented her entire family from having any future children so the line would end.

Not much later the black wolves grew tired of being considered less than the first 9 and a war broke out between the two sides. All 9 of the first wolves were alphas so they had an advantage over the lesser wolves, but the war lasted centuries as each generation fought to survive against the numerous black wolves. Members of the first 9, or royal as her father referred to them, went into hiding and the black wolves began fighting amongst themselves. When the lesser wolves fought and blood was spilt they started creating their own alphas; not as strong as the first 9 families, but stronger than the other lesser wolves. The descendants of the first 9 gathered and created an arrangement to help each other survive; as well as to prevent any fighting amongst them. They wouldn't fight against each other and if a family was in danger and one or more of the others were close enough they would come to the aid of the one in danger.

Caroline didn't think her eyes could get any bigger until she was brought back to the witch hunts. When the witch hunts began and many werewolves were being killed they managed to take out 2 of the white wolf families and a tan one completely. Her family changed their name and destroyed their past to avoid this future. When most of the families were going further into hiding, one of the gray wolf families had been captured by a lesser alpha; and before any of the other families could come to their aid they were killed. Over the years following that most of the information regarding the royal wolves was destroyed; as well as the wolves and alphas that had fought against them.

Not finding anything more to learn that she didn't already know she clutched the book to her chest and flashed out of the house and straight to the boarding house. She didn't want anyone to read it and she knew Stefan wouldn't question her for wanting to use the fireplace. When she got there she saw Damon and pushed him out of the way as she started yelling for Stefan. He came into the room looking at her seriously and she composed herself before asking to use the fireplace. He looked worried but nodded; giving her a funny look when she asked if they had anything that would make something burn faster.

She didn't fully let herself breathe as she doused the book in whiskey (that she grabbed from Damon as he was trying to drink it) and tossed the journal into the fire. She poked at the book with a fire poker as Stefan came to sit beside her and Damon walked off grumbling about having to get another drink. He asked her if the book was what she had been looking for and she nodded as she turned to look at him with a sad smile before saying it was safer for everyone if no one else ever read it. Then she turned back to watch it burn as she tried to imagine what all of her ancestors had went through during those times, but it only made her shake so she cut off her brain as Stefan went and got them both a drink.

 _"You alright?"_ Stefan asked as he handed her a drink and she took it shakily as she nodded.

 _"Yeah… it's just some of the things I read; it was kind of scary… and really sad."_ She replied as she turned her gaze back on the book; it had answered so many questions, but she still had more and she probably wouldn't ever know them.

 _"I won't ask you to tell me anything; you know that, but if you want to talk about it you can."_

 _"My dad wrote me a letter that he put directly under the cover. He said not to tell anyone unless I HAD to. It isn't just dangerous for me to know; it would put whoever I told in danger too in the wrong hands."_ She warned him so he would know just how serious she was; as well as the situation she was in.

 _"I understand. So… in a nutshell, there was blood, gore, love, hate… the usual?"_

 _"Yeah… and let's not forget jealousy, betrayal, curses, and revenge."_ She added with a look as she turned her head back to look at him. They shared a laugh before he answered her again.

 _"Yeah that is the usual."_

 _"So how was your day?"_ She asked to get her mind off of all she had learned and saw him grimace before sighing and answering her.

 _"Don't get me started… Klaus has asked me to go to his house later…"_

 _"Why?"_ She cut him off since she couldn't possibly think of the purpose in it.

 _"He said there's something he wants to talk about."_

 _"Uh! He's infuriating… he needs to get a life and leave the rest of us alone."_ She ranted as she remembered him being present to witness her break-up with Tyler and how much he had managed to cross paths with her lately; it made her believe he had known about Tyler and Hayley before she had.

 _"Well hopefully that's what he wants to talk about. But enough about him… how are you besides your discovery today?"_

 _"Did Elena tell you what happened yesterday?"_

 _"About Tyler?"_

 _"Yeah."_

 _"Yes she did. What happened?"_ He asked and she went into telling him the whole story; both of them laughing when she told him how she threw the food she had gotten them to eat in his face from her car. He said he deserved it before they calmed down and he turned back to her. _"You'll be alright though. I don't know about him now; but you'll be ok."_

 _"Thanks."_

 _"You're welcome. Now… how about you figure out a way to get me out of dinner with Klaus tonight?"_

 _"Tell him you are giving emotional support to a friend; you can't make it."_ She suggested and tried to imagine Klaus' reaction that THAT.

 _"Then he'll just come over here…"_

 _"He wouldn't do anything to you Stefan; not if he saw which friend you were talking about."_ Caroline stated as her mind switched to picturing Klaus showing up furious that Stefan hadn't shown up and saw why; he would likely calm down immediately and choose to stay there for whatever he wanted to discuss.

 _"Why do you say that?"_

 _"Because he's already said I'm his favorite hybrid and he's become like a stalker. I dread how much he'll probably pick it up since I'm not with Tyler anymore…"_ She grumbled as she adjusted herself more comfortably in the floor.

 _"You want to go with me? I could use an advantage in case he tries something tonight… Damon is taking Elena to a college party to practice feeding."_ Stefan asked and Caroline looked over at him again; he really didn't know what he was asking of her.

 _"Do I WANT to? No. Will I? I say if you don't want to go alone then I'll go. If he tries something I'll distract him."_ She offered and saw him look at her a little confused.

 _"How?"_

 _"Oh I don't know… I'll think of something."_ She offered as she stared down at the book that was nearly finished burning; the pages all destroyed, but the cover and binding was still burning. _"What time do you have to be there?"_

 _"In an hour."_

 _"You running or driving?"_ She asked since she didn't want to be in a car unless it was absolutely necessary.

 _"Running…"_

 _"Meet me at my house in 45 minutes."_ She said as she poked the fire once again to make sure the pages had indeed been destroyed and the outside edges didn't have anything on it that could be read. Then she stood and flashed out of the boarding house and back to hers. She changed into something else casual but a little more fancy that what she had worn so far that day. She didn't want to look too hot but if she needed to distract Klaus from going after Stefan she would have to look good. Then she put a jacket on over her top and made sure her hair and make-up looked alright before going to sit in the living room with some of her alcohol stash; she needed to play the part of being around Stefan for emotional support and if she was going to be around Klaus she would need a lot of alcohol in her system. When she heard the knock at the door she opened it up to see Stefan giving her a raised eyebrow. _"What?"_

 _"Dressing up?"_

 _"You might need to run… how else do you distract a guy that follows you around?"_ She asked sarcastically as if daring him to come up with another way.

 _"And the drinking?"_

 _"You're giving me emotional support and I need alcohol if I'm going to tolerate him any at all through this dinner. Does he know you're bringing me?"_ She informed and inquired as she watched his face tense up a little before he answered her; Klaus must be in a mood.

 _"I told him I had company coming with me… he doesn't know it's you; he isn't happy to say the least."_

 _"Just wait until he sees your company… he'll change his tune. Then you can see what I'm talking about."_ She said as she cocked her head and stepped outside. Once she had locked up she stood next to him and gestured for him to go first since she was faster due to being a hybrid. He chuckled but took off; her waiting a few seconds before flashing off behind him. She knew she passed him up on the way and waited at the gate of the Mikaelson mansion, making sure she looked bored as she held her hand up and began inspecting her nails. Stefan gave her another look before she smiled and then turned to look at the mansion behind them; smile disappearing immediately. Caroline glared at the house the whole walk up the drive and continued her glare on the door when Stefan knocked and they waited; causing Stefan to begin laughing seconds before the door opened.

 _"Stefan… I see your company is Caroline. How are you sweetheart?"_ Klaus asked as he went from looking pissed to surprised and on to excited in less than 3 seconds.

 _"Fine."_ She answered in monotone and looked over at Stefan with a fake glare; she knew he knew she was faking as he tried to keep from smiling or laughing.

 _"Good… shall we?"_ He asked and Stefan chuckled again before composing himself and walking ahead of her so she would have to follow. She knew Stefan had just gotten a glimpse as to what she meant and was trying to contain himself as they walked in; with her at one point glaring at the hybrid that had placed his hand against her back, only to remove it with her glare. _"Why don't the two of you get comfortable while we wait for dinner?"_ He asked and pulled out a chair as he looked to Caroline. Stefan had already picked where he was going to sit so she followed him and pulled her own seat out to sit next to him.

 _"I think I'll stick next to Stefan tonight if that isn't a problem."_ She said and he pushed the chair he had pulled out back in before walking to grab some glasses and a bottle of bourbon for them to drink during their wait.

 _"Um Caroline… I don't think you should drink anymore tonight."_ Stefan suggested and she fixed her glare on him and he shook his head before continuing. _"Never mind."_

 _"Now Stefan… as you are probably aware, Caroline had a bad day yesterday. I'd say she should be celebrating, but if she intends to drink to drown her sorrows instead then it won't hurt her."_

 _"Well when my sober sponsor is plastered then you might rephrase that statement."_ Stefan stated and Caroline gave a little snort as she downed her drink; remembering Stefan had seen her drunk before so he knew what she was like. Klaus on the other hand, hadn't seen her drunk and she thought it would be hilarious if he did.

 _"I'm actually quite surprised to see her out and about today. Although I didn't expect her to hole herself up in her house, I did expect her to take a couple days to allow herself to come to terms with her recent break-up."_

 _"I'm sitting right here."_ She said pointing to herself, not liking that they were talking about her like she wasn't there. _"And I was not the one in the wrong so I'm not going to stay home all the time; I have things to do."_ She stated as if it was obvious. It would be stupid if she didn't carry on with her life and instead let her recent break-up rule her life, but she would allow a few moments to wallow in the misery she felt; and making herself feel better with nice little drinks in her hand like she had at the moment.

 _"Like search through your father's things? What is it you're searching for? Everyone seems reluctant to tell me."_

 _"Well I wonder why… but it doesn't matter anymore; found it, got all the information I needed, and then I burned it."_ Caroline rambled without looking at him, but hearing him begin to question her made her look in his direction.

 _"So you know your heritage now?"_

 _"Yes."_ She answered in a clipped tone, hoping he would see she didn't want to talk about it.

 _"All of it?"_

 _"I'm sure I don't know all of it, but I know enough."_ She stated when she realized Klaus wasn't going to shut up anytime soon and looked away.

 _"Even the story behind it?"_

 _"Would that involve the number 9?"_ She asked sarcastically and looked past Stefan at him again to see him smirking at her in return. She scrunched her face up before turning back to look at the drink in front of her.

 _"And what did you think about the story?"_

 _"I think people that chase after power, like the witch did are crazy, and I think she deserved her punishment; do the crime you can do the time."_ She stated honestly and saw him nod as he looked down before his eyes shot back up to hers more seriously than he had been looking before.

 _"So you know exactly what type of wolf you are, right sweetheart?"_

 _"To an extent… yes. I don't really want to talk about it."_ She finished and downed her drink before looking at Stefan to see him nod to her; letting her know he understood that Klaus obsessing over her. _"So… how about you tell Stefan why you invited him?"_ She asked hoping Klaus would let it go since she didn't want to risk endangering Stefan with the information she had learned.

 _"All in good time love… we're going to have dinner and we're still missing a guest."_

 _"What?"_ Stefan asked and Caroline followed Stefan's gaze to Klaus.

 _"Ah yes… Rebekah has information that would be useful for our discussion. She's a little moody right now so it might take a little while to get it out of her."_

 _"Great. So we're stuck here while you try to talk your sister, who is mad at you, into giving you information about something you won't even tell us about while we're waiting?"_ Stefan asked and Caroline could tell he was trying not to sound as sarcastic as she had been, and had to admit he did a good job at covering it up.

 _"That sounds about right mate."_

 _"We'll be here a while."_ Stefan concluded before turning to her with an apologetic look before talking to her. _"Sorry I dragged you along… if you want to go you can."_

 _"Like I'm leaving you here by yourself with them. Just keep the alcohol coming this way."_ She said quietly and waved her glass for him to refill it; and once he did she wasted no time in taking another drink.

 _"Part of my plan tonight is to get my sister to tell a story. Then I'm going to excuse myself with Caroline, saying we need to discuss hybrid matters you, Stefan will have her finish the story. You'll know what to ask when the time comes and then you'll need to quickly snap her neck since you can't use the dagger. I'll dagger her once I come back in."_ Klaus spoke and Stefan and Caroline exchanged a confused glance before Caroline spoke up.

 _"Why do I have to go anywhere with you again?"_ Caroline asked as she shifted around in her seat; she didn't want to be alone around him, especially since she was newly single and he was obsessed with her.

 _"Well like Stefan said earlier, my sister is angry with me so she will not cooperate for me as easily as she would for Stefan. If you're there she may not answer the questions Stefan needs to ask, so you'll be coming with me…"_

 _"I don't want to go anywhere with you…"_ She argued but he cut her off and she pouted as she held back a whine.

 _"Well that is not an option on this. I'm sure you'll feel differently once you hear the beginning of Rebekah's story."_

 _"Uh… no… I…"_ She tried to say, but her thoughts were a little muddled from the alcohol and decided to let her buzz die down; especially if she would have to be around him alone.

 _"We need to have a discussion anyway Caroline, regarding your family line."_

 _"My family line isn't really your business…"_ She tried to say but, Klaus cut her off again and she placed her glass down so she wouldn't chuck it at him.

 _"In a way it is…"_

 _"That doesn't mean I'm going to tell you what I know…"_ She countered and grunted when he interrupted her, yet AGAIN.

 _"But I can tell you what I know love… and you might not know everything that I know."_ He insisted and she pressed her lips together in annoyance before glaring at him.

 _"I know enough."_ She said and saw him sigh in his own annoyance; giving another hive-five to her inner bitch for her help. He may aggravate the shit out of her, but she knew how to get under his skin just as easily.

 _"Then we can discuss what you intend to do with the knowledge you've gained. Neither of you are intended for harm if that's what your worried about; he doesn't need you watching over him."_

 _"It's fine Caroline…"_ Stefan said from beside her and she looked at him as if to say "seriously" and saw him shake his head.

 _"Stef…"_ She whined and leaned back against her seat with her head thrown back but he and Klaus both gave a laugh before Stefan caught himself and fixed his face. _"Not funny…"_

 _"It'll only be for a few minutes… and then later you and I are going hunting; you can even turn if you want to…"_ Stefan spoke but she heard Klaus cut him off and glared at him.

 _"I wouldn't turn around the other hybrids if I could help it sweetheart…"_ Klaus cut in and looked at her in a serious manner.

 _"Well I guess it's a good thing we won't BE around the other hybrids."_ Caroline replied sarcastically.

 _"I think Stefan can be trusted with your family history as long as he could give his word to not tell his brother; you can't let the other hybrids see you and he seems a little confused as to why that is."_

 _"I'm not putting him in danger by telling him that…"_ She started as she feared for her friend's safety if he got involved and knew anything.

 _"Like you would shifting near him and risking being seen love?"_ He replied with an eyebrow raised as he took a drink.

 _"Then I won't shift…"_ Caroline countered and hoped it would be enough to get him to shut up since it was likely she would accidentally hit Stefan if she lunged towards Klaus at the moment.

 _"What am I missing here?"_ Stefan cut in and Caroline looked at him with a pleading look; she really didn't know how any of her friends would take learning the news. _"I won't say anything to anybody; not even Damon. It's not fair for me to ask for your help, but when you need it I don't help in return."_

 _"I don't need help…"_ Caroline tried to explain, but Stefan interrupted her this time.

 _"Well it sounds like you do…"_ Stefan began to interrupt her, but Klaus interrupted him and Caroline thought she was going to scream with how pissed she was at the moment; not just for how rude the whole conversation had been, but for Klaus spilling such a dangerous secret.

 _"Caroline is a royal wolf… her specific bloodline descends from one of the first families. I take it you've seen her as a wolf before?"_

 _"Klaus!"_ Caroline yelled to get him to be quiet but Stefan looked between her and Klaus before speaking up.

 _"What? What does that mean?"_ Stefan asked as he carefully placed a hand over her mouth and she resisted biting him; she didn't want to kill him to remove it. As Klaus began explaining, Caroline managed to get Stefan's hand removed from her mouth and glared at both him and Klaus.

 _"It means she's not your average wolf… and though she's stronger than the lesser wolves, she's more in danger because of her heritage; if the lesser wolves could even find it in their history the war between the royal wolves and the lesser wolves."_ He added with a smirk that let Caroline know he had a secret, but before she could ask he continued. _"I destroyed everything I could find about it, but I couldn't track down every family record… records passed down much like Caroline learned from her father."_

 _"What does how she looks as a wolf have to do with it?"_ Stefan asked and Caroline sat back in her chair in defeat; she couldn't fight Klaus and get him to shut up, no matter how hard she tried. And it really wouldn't do any good to snap Stefan's neck at this point since he had already heard part of the story.

 _"The fur color distinguishes her status… white, grey, and tan are royal wolves; black fur represents lesser wolves. And she's the only white wolf descendant there is left."_

 _"Stefan you really don't need to know anymore…"_ Caroline cut in and Stefan looked at her still in shock before placing a hand on her shoulder and turning back to Klaus.

 _"So… why would she be in danger?"_ Stefan inquired and Caroline rolled her eyes as she huffed again; she didn't think this conversation could get worse at this point.

 _"Because a long time ago there was a war between royal wolves and lesser wolves mate; a war that could start back up if a lesser wolf with the knowledge of it saw her…"_

 _"Or you."_ Caroline pointed out as she narrowed her eyes. If she wasn't allowed for others to see her then it was only fair he followed that rule too.

 _"Now I'm confused."_ Stefan stated and looked between them again.

 _"I'm a grey wolf; the last of my line and there is one other grey wolf line out there, as well as 2 tan wolf lines. When you add Caroline into that you have 5 remaining bloodlines when it began with 9; 3 white, 3 grey, and 3 tan. They were the first werewolves created and are the royals, whereas the black wolves are lesser wolves because they were created afterwards…"_ Klaus explained and it momentarily shocked Caroline that Klaus told Stefan about himself, but she shook it off.

 _"All because a witch was jealous…"_ Caroline chimed in as she downed the rest of her drink.

 _"What Caroline means to say is the royals were cursed because the witch was jealous of those families' good fortunes when she was not as fortunate; she cursed them to get praise from the gods and then made the lesser wolves when she did not get the praise she sought. Over time the lesser wolves became jealous of the royals standing and thought to overthrow them; not because they were tyrants but because they wanted all the power."_

 _"Is that why Caroline is different than the others?"_

 _"It's one of the reasons, but not entirely mate. However… with her and I both being descended from the royal lines we cannot battle against each other; there was an agreement a long time ago."_

 _"What agreement?"_

 _"When the royal wolves started getting attacked they united against the lesser wolves; if a royal wolf was in trouble the others would come to help, and they would not fight against each other. Were you aware of the oath they took love?"_

 _"I learned about it earlier… but it doesn't mean I'll stand by and let you go after people I care about."_ Caroline answered as she kept from looking at him; she had been trying to keep from starting a fight and hearing Klaus explain what she had already read earlier, but she couldn't keep from speaking about that particular point, and was somewhat glad he had asked so she didn't have to interrupt.

 _"I didn't think you would… but what our dinner discussion concerns will have everyone working together for one purpose."_

 _"What purpose?"_ She asked, wondering if she could get him to spill the beans beforehand but he held up a finger against his mouth before he spoke.

 _"Shh… don't want to spoil the surprise."_ He answered and she rolled her eyes before looking at Stefan, who was looking at her funny.

 _"What?"_ She asked Stefan and saw his mouth thin as he gave a little shake of his head; she knew he was nervous about answering her, so she tried to look calmer to coax it out of him.

 _"I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that you are considered royalty in the wolf community."_ He finally answered and she rolled her eyes before waving it off; she didn't feel like royalty.

 _"Yeah… well… it doesn't change anything; I'm still the annoying, neurotic, control freak I've always been."_ She downplayed her role jokingly and saw he didn't lighten up much at all.

 _"How does that work with your mom being a normal human though?"_

 _"Well my specific line had an extra curse on it; they couldn't have a girl until they broke it and they didn't know how. I think my mom being human could have broken it, but I don't know; that wasn't in the journal."_ Caroline answered honestly and couldn't hide the slight disappointment she felt with that being still unanswered.

 _"That's all a lot to take in…"_ Stefan mused out loud and she turned to look at him again.

 _"You think?"_ She said sarcastically and was about to continue but dinner came out and the dazed humans placed plates in front of them. Directly after that Rebekah showed up, grumbling about her brother and the treatment he was giving her. She and Stefan exchanged glances in silent agreement that their former conversation was over until they knew they were alone again; which neither of them knew when that would be.

Before she knew it she was listening to Rebekah talk about a time where she was in a relationship with a vampire hunter; Caroline avoiding eating dinner but not declining all the alcohol that came her way until she felt a good buzz set in. During Rebekah's story she felt her phone buzz and looked down to see her mom was calling so she excused herself; walking outside and sitting on the steps. She learned her mom had went home to get a few things and that she had forgot to leave a note, so she told her mom she was out with Stefan doing vampire things; the closest thing she could come to the truth since she didn't want her mom knowing where she and Stefan were. When the call ended she stood to go back inside, but the door opened and Klaus came out and told her Stefan was talking to Rebekah, so they walked around to the side of the house.

 _"Why did you tell Stefan?"_

 _"Still angry about that are you?"_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Because he's your friend and he's already protected you from his brother before; he would keep this from Damon."_

 _"How did you know anything about that?"_

 _"Tyler told me something about it a while back… he said you were friends with him before he turned into a rippah."_

 _"Clearly… so why tell him?"_

 _"Maybe you should have at least one friend that knows so they can protect you since you do not wish for my help love."_

 _"I don't need help… no one had any idea until you told Stefan…"_

 _"Not a risk worth taking…"_

 _"What did I miss inside?"_

 _"There's a cure… to get to it I need the sword one of Rebekah's former suitors had."_

 _"A cure for what?"_

 _"Vampirism."_

 _"What?"_ She asked as she faced him shocked. She couldn't believe her ears; if there was a cure she wouldn't have to be a hybrid anymore. Would she want that? If it was dangerous to be a royal wolf, being a hybrid would give her an extra advantage; not to mention she was already adjusted to being a vampire. Would she go back to being just a wolf? She wouldn't be able to turn anytime she wanted to, and she wouldn't have control in her wolf form. She felt stuck between what she would do if she had the opportunity. She loved the control she had, but she wouldn't have her own family and she'd have to watch her friends and family die while she lived on. She noticed she had wandered away in thought and Klaus had been talking to her, so she looked back at him; not realizing she had looked away when her mind wandered. _"Sorry… got lost in thought. What did you say?"_

 _"I said there was a cure for being a vampire."_

 _"So you're mentioning it because…?"_

 _"Well I think the doppelganger would like to be human again; not to mention the other vampires in town love."_

 _"So you're going to help find it so you can make more hybrids? Because if Elena was human again… her blood would work again?"_

 _"Correct."_

 _"And if she didn't want to take it?"_

 _"She would… and almost everyone else would take it with her."_

 _"Then she wouldn't be protected against you."_ She theorized out loud and saw him shift his weight from one side to the other and she knew she was right. Knowing what she knew she decided that if Elena DID take the cure, she wouldn't be able to; her friends would need the protection.

 _"Would you take it?"_

 _"Me? Probably not…"_

 _"I didn't figure you would love; even if you dislike being a vampire you like the control you have with it. But you need to keep it quiet… we don't need a bunch of unknown variables scrambling after it while we're searching ourselves."_

 _"Why haven't any of us heard about it before?"_

 _"I made sure to destroy what I could find about it; much like I did with the wolf histories."_

 _"Is the oath between the royal families why you came to the school? You said you wasn't going to go; that you would have let Elena die."_

 _"Partly… but oath or not I would have found a way to get you out of there."_

 _"So no one would stop you from taking Elena? Because once I was out of there you took her and tried to kill her…"_

 _"To kill Alaric…"_

 _"It doesn't matter that she was bound to Alaric…"_

 _"I wasn't about to let him go after my family and the easiest way to stop him was to kill her."_

 _"I understand that you wanted to protect your family… but we were trying to protect our families too."_

 _"How did the council manage to capture you?"_

 _"What?"_

 _"The day I got you back from them…"_

 _"You mean when you were in Tyler's body?"_ She asked sarcastically before continuing. _"A very large dose of vervain and wolfsbane shot with a tranquilizer gun. I hadn't fully gone out of it when one of them hit me in the head and I woke up in the van. But you're changing the conversation…"_

 _"Because you and I will probably never agree when it comes to the doppelganger love. I was just curious how they managed to get to you."_

 _"Alaric outed us all the council; including what each of us were and how to take us down."_

 _"I still wonder if he knew the wolf histories since it was my mother that made him…"_

 _"You think he knew?"_

 _"Probably… seeing as my mother read you it's likely."_

 _"Which I did not like one bit."_ She deadpanned and gave him a look.

 _"I didn't like the idea either if it makes you feel better…"_

 _"No, not really."_

 _"But since she was the one that was making Alaric go insane with hatred for vampires she would have known that he had killed your father when she spoke to you; and she lied about it."_

 _"Well that doesn't surprise me; I already figured that one out."_

 _"Yes because you're so much more than a pretty face…"_ He responded immediately and she glared at him to see him smirking at her as his eyes glided over her and she crossed her arms.

 _"I'm never going to hear the end of that, am I?"_ She asked and he gave a slight shake of his head and she huffed since she had already guessed his answer. _"You know… I really did go pour hand sanitizer in my mouth later."_

 _"It was still Tyler's body… so all you did was endure the taste of that stuff for nothing."_

 _"Not the point…"_

 _"But you didn't know about his indiscretions at that point either…"_

 _"We are SO NOT talking about that. If you would have just released him from the sire bond he wouldn't have had to go away; and he wouldn't have cheated."_

 _"He wasn't away that long sweetheart… I'm aware of the heightened needs that a hybrid can have, but one would think the boy could control those urges if he wished to."_

 _"No… one would think he would prioritize, but he didn't."_

 _"Is that how you control your urges; prioritizing?"_

 _"That is none of your business…"_

 _"You know, all you have to do is ask and I'll…"_

 _"Don't even finish that sentence… I can handle myself just fine."_ She said as she scrunched her face up and he smirked, but then she thought about what she had just said; accidentally letting him know how she handled her own 'urges'. She didn't want to know where his mind had drifted off to so she decided to change the subject. _"How long is it going to take before Stefan is done talking to your sister?"_

 _"He just needs to find out where the sword her past suitor had is; she would know."_

 _"It's been a while…"_

 _"Well he can't just ask her flat out where the sword is… he has to lead her up to it; trick her somehow."_

 _"What happens when she tells him?"_

 _"I go get it… and my sister takes a little nap; she would stop us from getting the sword and then using it to find the cure. Would you like to join me?"_

 _"No… I think I'll be better off here."_

 _"Or you could use some time away; call it a vacation."_

 _"I said no Klaus."_

 _"Suit yourself…"_ He said but stopped when Stefan came out and found them. He gave Caroline another once over and she shifted her weight nervously before walking over to Stefan. Once he told Klaus where Rebekah had buried her former lover Klaus nodded and pulled out his phone to book a flight while she and Stefan exchanged glances; Stefan looking at her worriedly and she looking back to show her annoyance. She mouthed the word 'later' to Stefan so he would know they were going to have a little chat later and he nodded; Klaus ending his call and telling them they could go or stay for a little while to discuss more. When they said they wanted to go he told them to keep what they had learned quiet until he returned from Italy; to which they agreed and left while Klaus walked back inside.

She and Stefan flashed away to the forest so he could they could go hunting; her deciding to not shift into wolf form so she wouldn't get noticed. She noticed he didn't kill the larger animals he drank from but the little bunnies and foxes he came across weren't as lucky; but it was still progress. They didn't talk while they fed because Stefan said he was going to go to her house for a little while. She didn't mind since her mom had said she'd be returning to work and she didn't want to be alone. So when they were done hunting they flashed back to her house and she gathered them drinks so they could have their discussion.

 _"So what did you and Klaus get into outside?"_

 _"You don't even want to get me started… the guy is impossible."_

 _"By impossible you mean?"_

 _"I mean he can't take a hint… he invited me to go with him to get the sword; I said no."_

 _"He likes you…"_

 _"It's creepy… and disturbing… and not helpful at all."_

 _"But out of everyone you know he's the only one that is like you in a way."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"Well you know… the whole royal wolf thing."_

 _"That doesn't mean I want him lurking all the time…"_

 _"But it does mean something else…"_

 _"What? And do not tell me something I'm gonna smack you for."_

 _"Sorry, but I'm going to have to. He's a royal wolf and the Original HYBRID; you're the only other royal wolf that's a hybrid."_

 _"You better not be getting at what I think you're getting at."_ She warned with a finger pointed at him as she raised her glass and chugged the contents down.

 _"Think about it… he wanted to make hybrids so he wouldn't be the only one, but he would still be unique because he's the first one and a royal; and he didn't know you were a royal when he turned you. Now he's made a royal wolf, like him, into a hybrid. Are you the only royal wolf he's turned?"_

 _"Yeah… he said 2 out of 5 bloodlines being hybrids were enough; the other 3 should continue on like they have been."_

 _"You're two different royal bloodlines, and the only two royal wolves that are hybrids; he's seeing someone of equal standing, not completely equal but equal enough."_

 _"Enough for what?"_

 _"I just said he likes you…"_

 _"Don't go there…"_

 _"Just listen… he considers himself to be THE alpha, but you're an alpha female of a royal bloodline."_

 _"He had me meet other alphas Stef… I turned them all down and even used a command to get them to leave me alone."_

 _"But you can't give Klaus a command… much like him not being able to order you around like he can the others."_

 _"So?"_

 _"So even if you refused his offer you can't order him not to try again; you already handled his competition with the other alphas."_

 _"I'm going to kill him…"_

 _"You can't kill him without killing all of us…"_

 _"Then I'll get him desiccated again…"_

 _"I'm not saying go with him; not at all. I'm just helping you figure out what he wants from you exactly."_

 _"Well it isn't happening… there's no way in hell…"_

 _"I didn't say it would… but you're both immortal; unless we find the cure and you take it."_

 _"I'm not going to take the cure Stefan…"_

 _"What? Why not?"_

 _"Because if the cure even exists, and all of you take it, none of you will be able to stop him from using Elena and killing the rest of you."_

 _"But what about you?"_

 _"I could always take it later… if I wanted to."_

 _"You don't want to?"_

 _"I wouldn't have the control of the wolf part of me if I wasn't a vampire; and I couldn't shift any time I wanted. I'm already adjusted to being like this… and I don't want to change it. But… I don't want to lose everybody either. Do you see my problem? I'm stuck between the options and I have to make sure my choice wouldn't affect anyone else."_

 _"Well we have to find the cure first… we may not ever find it; it may not even exist. The whole thing could be a lie that Rebekah's ex told her so he could try to kill them."_

 _"It could be… but if it is, I don't know what I'll do with it."_

 _"You'll figure it out… and it'll be whatever you want to do."_

 _"Well I know you, Elena, and Matt would probably take it; but I don't know if Damon would or not."_

 _"I'd say he would… he didn't want to become a vampire; I kind of made him do it. I just didn't want to lose my big brother…"_

 _"But the Damon that turned into a vampire isn't the same Damon that would be deciding. The Damon that exists now might not want to go back to being human. AND… if you and Elena were human again he would likely want to stay a vampire to make sure you two were protected. And let's not forget Abby… but if Abby turned back she could be used by Ester again…"_

 _"And Ester would be a danger to everyone yet again."_ Stefan concluded as he dropped his head. Then they both realized the full weight of the situation; the cure would give them the dream of being human again but it could also put all their lives in danger or end their lives completely. _"I think Klaus was right for us to stay quiet about this…"_

 _"For once…"_

 _"We don't want to get everyone's hopes up too soon anyway."_

 _"I don't think it would be fake if Klaus and Rebekah both believe it's real."_

 _"Me either… but it could also start a fight. We'll give it a day or two before we decide though. Klaus will be gone a few days to get the sword… and then I doubt he'd let us see it when he gets back. Then there's the hunter… we still don't know what Klaus is gonna do with him."_

 _"He doesn't want him dead… the invisible tattoo and the sword lead to the cure; and I don't think we know everything yet."_

 _"Probably not… but I need to go see how Elena did with feeding tonight. You gonna be alright or do you want to go with?"_

 _"I think you two could use some alone time… so I'll stay; have fun."_ She said as she gave him a hug and took his glass back from him to put it in the sink.

 _"Thanks for going with me earlier… I have a feeling you being there kept him in a better mood."_

 _"Even though his good mood puts me in a bad mood? Seriously Stefan… he's trying to step up his game; and he was creepy enough before I was single."_

 _"So go out and enjoy yourself… don't let him get to you."_

 _"I plan on it."_ She replied and he gave a nod before he left. With Klaus being out of town it would give her and the girls a great opportunity to go out for a girl's night; with no unexpected surprises from said hybrid. But… with Elena being new to being a vampire and Bonnie trying to work things out with her magic they would probably both be too busy to go; all the more reason to take a break and have a night to themselves. She knew Stefan would be checking on Elena and Bonnie was probably getting ready for bed so she made a plan to call them the next day and talk them into it.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

A couple days later and Caroline still hadn't been able to get either girl to go with her for a girl's night, so she had spent a lot of time with her mom; and when her mom hadn't been home she was either at the boarding house or in the Forbes cellar shifting. She even managed to spend time with Matt at the Grill but a couple times were interrupted when Tyler and Hayley would come in; stopping and talking to Matt as they showed off their relationship. She didn't let it get to her though, making sure she kept her appearance perfect at all times and didn't publicly drink her sorrows away; if he wasn't ashamed of himself she wouldn't let it hurt her anymore. She was glad that Matt was still friends with her since he was Tyler's friend too, but it seemed that Tyler didn't like that little fact; constantly glaring at them when they would come to the grill and she and Matt were hanging out.

The day she knew Klaus was coming back she avoided going out in public as much as she could and told Stefan she would be away for shifting so he would know to tell the others if they asked for her; everyone else had already found out about the cure from him. She turned her phone on silent and closed the door to the tiny little cell as she began letting herself change. A few hours later, when she felt better by getting some of her frustration out, she got her clothes back on and checked her phone; seeing several missed calls from everyone as well as texts. She read over the texts before she called Elena to ask if her and Jeremy were alright; hearing that she had killed the hunter she thought her friend would need to talk. When she knew she was okay she called Stefan as she ran around the grounds to keep the scent mixed up before flashing back towards town, heading towards Matt's to check on him since the Grill had been damaged.

Stefan explained what had happened the same as Elena did and she apologized for turning her phone on silent; she felt she could have done something to help had she not spent the day shifting over and over again. He told her it was okay and everyone was fine, so there was no harm in her having a day to herself; but it didn't really make her feel any better. She hung up when she reached Matt's house and talked to him for a little while, letting her be sure he was indeed okay, before she went home to check on her mom; but her mom was at work so she settled on calling her. She hated that she hadn't been more helpful during the day and made a plan to make sure there wasn't even a chance of danger happening before taking another day off.

 ** _Next Day…_**

Hearing that Klaus had taken Elena hostage to keep her from killing herself because she was having hallucinations was not how Caroline thought the day would go. Finding out that the hallucinations were part of a curse that would torment a supernatural being that killed a hunter belonging to the Five was even more troubling; they didn't know how to make it stop. So she met with the Salvatore brothers and Bonnie to work on a plan to get Elena back and make the hallucinations stop; she would distract Klaus so Stefan could go to his house and break her out while Bonnie found a way to make the hallucinations stop. So Caroline dressed up a little and went to the re-opened Grill when she heard that Klaus had decided to go out; she really hated that she was the one that had to distract him because it would just likely give him ideas. Walking into the grill she saw him at the bar and looked around to see if anyone she talked to was there; but Matt wasn't working and she didn't see any hybrids (Tyler included) or Hayley so she proceeded.

 _"This place looks good considering one of your hybrids got blown up in it."_ She said as she took her jacket off and walked up to the bar next to him.

 _"Caroline… what a surprise. What can I do for you?"_

 _"I want you to give Elena back."_ She said as she perched an arm over her jacket on the bar and leaned her side against the bar as well.

 _"Ah I see… they sent you to sweet-talk me. Well good form… but my answer is no."_

 _"Why not?"_

 _"She needs my help."_

 _"It's not like we wouldn't protect her without your help."_

 _"I won't trouble you with all the gory details; I know you have enough on your plate with Tyler and his indiscretions."_

 _"That's none of your business actually."_

 _"Just know… if he was still sired to me, he never would have hurt you; I wouldn't have let him."_ He responded and she let out a breath before turning away from him. The look he had given her when he said that made her think about things she didn't want to think about; not just Tyler cheating, but Klaus' attempts at wooing her. _"Can I at least offer you a drink?"_ He asked and she looked around again before sitting in the stool next to his.

 _"Yeah. Thanks."_ She responded and tried not to notice the smile that he showed as he flagged down the bartender.

 _"So sweetheart… do you mind telling me how everyone found out about the cure?"_

 _"I would guess Stefan told Damon and Damon told everyone else."_

 _"You mean you don't know?"_

 _"Not for sure… no. Stefan and Elena have been having a few difficulties because of Damon so I think he brought it up to help her."_

 _"And what about you?"_

 _"What about me?"_

 _"Did he tell them about you?"_

 _"I don't think so… if he had I would've had to answer a million questions by now and I haven't; so probably not."_

 _"Good… I don't trust Damon to keep his mouth shut; he'd let the wars start back to strike at me. But the problem with that is they couldn't kill me; but they could kill you and he wouldn't mind you being the collateral damage if he thought they stood a chance against me."_

 _"And how would that be any different than every other day?"_ She asked before taking a drink and glancing down at her phone; seeing no new texts she didn't know if Stefan was successful yet. She had purposely slid her phone beside her jacket so he wouldn't see it and she could keep in contact with everyone else.

 _"I can see where you would think that love…"_

 _"So how does the sword lead to the cure?"_

 _"Well it isn't any help without a hunter that's alive… the invisible marks they have tell you how to use the sword."_

 _"So without Conner the sword is useless?"_

 _"We'll just have to find another hunter… won't be too hard."_

 _"But is it really a good idea to even search for the cure? What is it's a fraud or something worse happens when everybody takes it?"_

 _"Would you?"_

 _"I don't know…"_ She answered and he looked at her before turning to face her with a curious expression; almost like he didn't know what to think about that. _"What?"_

 _"You hate being a vampire…"_

 _"No I hate that I was turned against my will… I'm used to being a vampire but I don't want to lose my friends and mom by staying one either; it's complicated."_

 _"You should stay one. Besides… I don't really like the idea of one of my hybrids taking it; unless it's Tyler."_

 _"He won't… he doesn't like shifting."_

 _"Yet you do like shifting… so much that it's one of the things that have you debating the cure; you wouldn't be able to shift at will anymore."_

 _"Right… but I guess I have time to figure it out."_ She said and saw her screen light up saying they had gotten Elena out, but they had lost her. She excused herself for a minute and asked Bonnie if she had any luck; and Bonnie replied she was close to figuring it out. She set her phone down and looked back at Klaus. _"Sorry… my phone is almost constantly going off nowadays."_

 _"Life in Mystic Falls seems to do that for you love."_

 _"Only the past couple of years."_ She replied with a look that implied he was the main reason for it and he chuckled. _"There's a lot of normal things going on too though…"_

 _"Such as?"_

 _"I'm still Miss Mystic Falls for a few more days… there's a lot to do before the pageant comes and I won't have to go to the Lockwood mansion anymore."_

 _"Yes I imagine that will be uncomfortable to say the least…"_

 _"Yeah well it's my responsibility until then."_ She said as she rolled her eyes. She had been so happy to be crowned the winner, but now it wasn't as important to her anymore; with all the problems and danger they were constantly in, a pageant seemed silly. She saw her phone light up again with a text from Bonnie so she pulled it in front of her to read that awakening a new hunter would stop the hunter curse on Elena. She texted Stefan to see if he knew and he was still out looking for Elena, so he said it would be a good time to find Jeremy and have him kill a vampire; since Jeremy had seen Connor's mark it meant he was a potential. Then she remembered who she was sitting with and knew she had to let him know what was going on; they needed a vampire for Jeremy to kill and then they would need help finding Elena. So she looked up and gave a nervous laugh before tilting her head to start talking. _"So here's the thing… I didn't come in here just to get you to give Elena back."_

 _"You don't say."_ He said amused and she knew she looked nervous, and in that moment she was a little afraid of what he would do; he had been in a relatively good mood and she was about to piss him off.

 _"I came here to distract you so Stefan could go to your house and get Elena out; which he did. And don't get mad… but then he… lost her."_ She said and he didn't answer as he stood abruptly and started to leave. _"Klaus…"_

 _"Caroline… you're beautiful, but if you don't stop talking I will kill you."_ He said when he turned back to face her, but then he started to leave again and she knew she needed to get him to stay until he knew everything.

 _"They figured out how to stop the hallucinations."_ She said quickly and made sure to quiet her voice so no one else in the Grill would hear her; causing him to stop before turning and walking right back in front of her.

 _"You have 10 seconds…"_ He warned and she knew not to push him at the moment so she took a breath before she explained everything.

 _"Jeremy needs to kill a vampire… since he saw Conner's mark it means he's a potential hunter; and only making a potential hunter make a kill and become a full hunter would stop the curse from continuing."_ She said and watched as he pulled out his phone before pausing to look at her again.

 _"If I give up one of my hybrids so Jeremy can make a kill… I want something in return; and since you're the one that was a distraction tonight love, I want that something from you."_

 _"What do you want?"_ She asked uneasily as she stepped back and picked up her jacket and phone.

 _"I want a date…"_

 _"What?!"_

 _"You heard me sweetheart… an actual date."_

 _"You just threatened to kill me less than a minute ago…"_

 _"You know I really wouldn't kill you... I don't want you dead. So what will it be?"_ He asked and she shifted on her feet as she thought about what would happen if she said no. He seemed to know where her thoughts were leading her as she looked to see him smirking and holding his phone in wait.

 _"Fine…"_ She answered and watched him smirk wider before calling someone on his phone; likely a hybrid but she couldn't tell for sure since he motioned for her to get a hold of who she needed to and she had called Stefan so he could get Jeremy prepared for a killing. She hadn't hung up when he grabbed the phone from her and told Stefan where to take Jeremy; as well as call back when the kill was finished and when they had found Elena. Then he hung up and kept her phone with him as he walked them back to the bar. _"Give me my phone back."_

 _"I'm expecting a call love… I'll give it back when I'm done…"_

 _"Well I could get another call in that time… when Stefan calls back I'll let you talk to him."_

 _"I'm still a little upset with you at the moment, so no."_

 _"Consider it payback for the whole situation where you were in Tyler's body."_ She said as she reached forward and took it from his hand; slightly surprised he let her have it. She gave an angry huff before scrolling through her phone to delete all her texts and her call list; not wanting to chance him taking it back and looking through it.

 _"So are we even now love?"_

 _"Not even close Klaus."_ She said and he chuckled before pouring them both another drink. She couldn't contain the growl or the glare she gave him because he was chuckling; she didn't find their conversation amusing. _"And a date? Seriously? That's what you come up with?"_

 _"I believe in seizing an opportunity when it presents itself…"_

 _"So when do I have to do this?"_

 _"I'll let you know… it'll be soon though."_ He offered and then they heard it was last call so they both downed the rest of their liquor and left the Grill; walking into the forest to wait on Stefan to call. She began to get nervous with how long it was taking to get word; it wouldn't be long before dawn and Stefan still needed to make sure Jeremy could make a kill without getting killed himself. Not to mention the fact that she was in the middle of the woods with Klaus; and if she wasn't a wolf herself she would likely compare it to Red Riding Hood. _"What's on your mind sweetheart?"_

 _"I'm wondering what's taking so long."_

 _"Well until Stefan calls you're stuck with me…"_

 _"I already guessed that… why are you even using a hybrid? I figured you would just turn someone into a vampire for him to kill…"_

 _"Yes well… we're kind of pressed for time; and Tyler isn't the only hybrid that proves himself useless."_

 _"Why do you say that?"_

 _"There are a couple that are close to Tyler… and I don't want him giving them any ideas."_

 _"He's probably too busy with Hayley…"_

 _"Regardless… I'm sending a message. And once Elena takes the cure I can use her blood to make more; problem solved love."_

 _"Not really… if you kill one of Tyler's friends it'll probably just encourage him. And I'm not involved in this… I don't agree with the sire bond and if they want their freedom they should have it; but at the same time it could be dangerous for everybody else if they weren't."_

 _"I'm not mixing you with the other hybrids again; with Tyler being unsired he could find something out about you and he would tell the others. They aren't very happy with you right now anyway."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"You were never sired to me and you're an alpha female that can command them; not to mention you have commanded a few of them, as well as defied wolf customs in front of them."_

 _"But being a different kind of wolf would make the rules a little different, wouldn't it?"_

 _"No because it was the royal wolves that created the customs; the lesser wolves follow the rules they wish while they made rules for themselves."_

 _"This is sooo frustrating!"_ She yelled as she threw her arms out and stomped her foot. She knew she looked childish but she didn't care at the moment. Her and her friends already had enough problems going on with the cure, hunter problems, hybrids being everywhere, Elena being a vampire, Bonnie working with her magic, and Klaus constantly looming over them; adding in wolf problems on top of all of that made her want to scream, but she was constantly restraining herself. Now Klaus was watching her quick little meltdown and she could tell he was trying to keep from chuckling at her again as he leaned against a tree with his arms crossed watching her. _"What?"_

 _"Better love?"_

 _"Not really."_ She responded and he pushed himself off the tree to walk over to her and she took a step back instinctively; causing him to slow his walk until he leaned against the tree she was standing next to.

 _"I don't doubt you'll get everything sorted out soon love. But you'll be a wolf all your life… so staying a vampire as well means you need to come to terms with ALL the aspects of being a wolf. All your other problems will pass, but being a wolf will not."_

 _"Obviously."_ She replied not wanting to discuss the situation anymore. She knew he probably had an underlying meaning behind his words; even if he seemed to be trying to comfort her mind it had to be a trick.

 _"Look at the bright side love… if you stay a vampire, you'll have help; whether or not you want or need it."_

 _"So what you're saying is that, if I remain a vampire, you're going to keep bugging me?"_

 _"Whether or not you remain a vampire I'm going to help you… you might as well get used to me being around."_

 _"You really DON'T know how to take a hint, do you?"_

 _"We've got time love… I'm sure I'll grow on you."_ He answered with another smirk and she rolled her eyes before walking a couple steps away and pulling her phone back up. She wanted to call and find out what was going on, but she didn't want to risk getting someone hurt if they were needed to be quiet. She could see the sky trying to lighten as dawn grew closer and turned around with another question on her mind.

 _"Shouldn't we know something by now?"_

 _"Depends… I'm sure Jeremy needs a little time to prepare going up against a hybrid; and it would be difficult to guess where Elena would disappear to, so tracking her down might be time-consuming."_

 _"I thought you sent a hybrid to get killed… you didn't say anything about Jeremy having to fight him…"_

 _"I didn't tell him what I was sending him to do love… so he might put up a fight; it's why he has Stefan helping him."_

 _"He could get killed!"_

 _"And then Elena would be locked back up until we found a hunter that can actually do his purpose."_

 _"You're unbelievable…"_

 _"Calm down sweetheart… the little hunter will be fine; you know Stefan wouldn't let him get killed."_

 _"And if Stefan gets bit trying to keep Jeremy alive?"_

 _"Then I would heal him… even if I'm a tad bit upset with him at the moment."_

 _"I'm going to make a call… don't bother me."_ She said angrily and walked away to call Bonnie. Bonnie hadn't heard from anybody either yet so she told her she had to go and tried dialing Damon. He answered but couldn't talk long since he was tracking Elena. He said he knew he was close because her scent was strong where he was and that Stefan and Jeremy were about to kill the hybrid so it would be any time. She hung up and looked up at the sky before going back to where Klaus was standing to fill him in on what Damon had told her before sending a text to Bonnie so she wouldn't be worried.

A few minutes later Stefan called and she handed the phone to Klaus so he could tell him Jeremy was a hunter now. While they were talking she kept looking to the sky as it grew lighter and the first rays of light started breaking through. Then she heard Stefan say he was going to go look for Damon and Elena before he hung up and Klaus handed her phone back to her. She automatically called Damon back but didn't receive an answer this time. Feeling her panic set in she called back over and over but there was still no answer. She called Bonnie back to make sure she had been right about ending the hunter's curse, and she replied that she was so Caroline tried calling Damon again.

A few more minutes ticked by and she had paced a little dirt path where they had been waiting for news at when she finally got a call. Stefan told her that Elena was safe and that Damon's phone had gotten wet so he wouldn't have gotten any of their calls. Then he replayed what Damon had told him and she breathed in relief that her friend was alive; but she was still nerve wracked because Elena had nearly been successful in killing herself on the Wickory Bridge by tossing her ring in the river below and Damon had pushed them both over the bridge to keep the sun from getting to her. When the call ended she turned back to look at Klaus to make sure he had heard everything; when he confirmed he had and told her he'd let her know when their date would be she nodded and flashed home.


	18. Chapter 18

***Quick Note- Sorry about the delay guys. I just had my tonsils taken out and I've also had coursework for college to work on. I'll be updating all my stories over the next couple of days, but I thought I would start with this one. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 18**

Over the next couple days Caroline spent a lot of time at the Lockwood mansion with Carol setting up for the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. She and Tyler had gotten into an argument about the hybrid Klaus had sent to his death so Jeremy could become a hunter and save Elena; ending with a glass tumbler being thrown right past her head at the wall behind her before he had stomped off. After that she tried to stick with Carol more so Tyler wouldn't come around her; it was bad enough to have to be in her ex's home, but seeing him would make it worse. So by the time the pageant was one day away she was able to avoid Tyler during the time she was there as she made other people set up in the areas she knew he would be.

To make matters more stressful in her opinion was the fighting between Stefan and Elena; seeing as both of them would call to talk their frustrations out with her. It made her feel like they were all in a soap opera because Stefan was just wanting everything to go back to how it was with Elena, and Elena was stuck between her feelings for Stefan AND Damon. She knew she would say that Stefan is the brother Elena should pick, but Elena would just say it was hard because Damon loved her too. As much as she didn't like thinking it, she couldn't help but feel like Elena was reminding her of Katherine with having two brothers competing over her. Everything was on her mind at once so when she saw people messing up with set-up she couldn't help but let her frustration be known; letting them know that if they had just read over the charts she had given them then she wouldn't have to correct them. When they scurried off she shook her head and went back to the paperwork she was working on; apparently her day wasn't bad enough because she heard Klaus come up behind her.

 _"Now how did I know I'd find you at the helm of the ship?"_

 _"Go away. I'm busy."_

 _"I was just inquiring as to what time I should pick you up tomorrow."_ He stated and she paused in her task; he couldn't be seriously using tomorrow as the date.

 _"How about a quarter to never?"_ She asked and went back to work as she tried to ignore him but she heard him step closer. When he was right over her shoulder he continued, and she had to pause again.

 _"I was promised a date… in return for one of my hybrids."_

 _"Yes a date… like to a movie where we don't have to talk and I can put at least 3 seats between us."_

 _"Surely the reigning Miss Mystic Falls won't be attending alone. And I would assume you're not taking Tyler; not after his indiscretions with his little wolf girl."_ He asked as he dipped his head down slightly as he lifted his eyes back up to hers; she couldn't help but think this was his 'puppy eyed' look. So she gave a slow shift to the side before standing straight again.

 _"Fine… if you insist on coming, you can meet me here."_ She said as she started walking towards the house. _"2:00… don't be late… black tie optional."_ She rambled as she walked further but then thought of something else and turned around and pointed her finger up at him. _"And I already have a dress, so don't even think of getting me so much as a corsage. Understand?"_ She insisted and he gave what she could only describe as an amused nod before she turned around to make her way back inside; hearing him call out behind her.

 _"I'll see you tomorrow Caroline."_ She heard and turned to give him a glare but he was gone when she looked back so she made her way back inside to find Carol. When she had finally tracked her down she was ready to leave; her heightened sense of hearing picking up on Tyler and Hayley in his room doing things she'd rather not hear. She ignored their noises as much as she could as she made sure all the plans were final before tomorrow so she could oversee them; preferably outside away from the noise coming from upstairs.

Eventually she had plugged in her headphones and played the radio from her phone to drown them out so she could work without distractions. Once she drowned them out her work flew by and she managed to make sure everything was set up and ready for the next day. So she headed home to relax for the rest of the night; once everything was done at the pageant she wouldn't have to go back to the Lockwood mansion and it would be a relief. She pulled out her phone to call Bonnie, but she didn't answer and about a minute later she received a text saying she was working on her magic and she couldn't talk. Feeling restless with nothing really to do she left a note for her mom and left for a walk.

 ** _Next Day-At the Pageant…_**

Caroline could not believe Elena and Stefan had broken up that morning; and to make matters worse she had brought Damon as her date to the pageant. Caroline was trying to help April choose between dresses when Damon walked in; and after Elena had agreed that the blue dress would be better, Damon said red and Elena switched her vote, so April went with the red dress. Not wanting to be around either of them anymore she made her way back downstairs to make sure everything was running smoothly. She didn't know if it was the amount of stress she felt or just everything going on that day, but seeing nothing going how it was supposed to outside made her want to snap; she would definitely be enjoying some cell time later.

She went through picking up empty champagne flutes and signaling for new ones to be taken to the tables she had picked the flutes from. When she finally spotted the busboy she placed the glasses down on his tray with a reminder that she had said there wasn't supposed to be any empty glasses that day. To further aggravate her, the band had been playing slow melancholic songs the entire time they had been playing so she stepped over and snapped at them to pick it up; it was a pageant, not a funeral. Seriously… it could not get worse; or so she thought.

 _"And how am I doing?"_ She heard Klaus ask when she was turning around and she froze in her movements. She was going to say something sarcastic but he was on time, looking professional, and wasn't the reason behind her stress that day; at least not the whole reason.

 _"You're… perfect."_ She offered before she let her rant out; she couldn't let him think her compliment would get him anywhere. _"Which is so beyond annoying, I can't even look at you."_ She finished and dropped her head back down to look at him, accidentally giving him a smile. He smiled back but she saw his eyes shift before he spoke.

 _"I see they didn't waste any time."_ He stated and she turned to see Tyler and Hayley walking hand in hand over the little path bridge; scowling because Hayley had worn something that screamed 'slut'. She was already beginning to get over the affair, but it still hurt thinking about how she hadn't been important enough for him to be fair to her.

 _"Let's just get today over with."_ She returned and felt a little bad seeing his face fall slightly, so she decided to add some insight to her request. _"After today I don't have to come back here; and the only time I'll have to see them is if I run into them in town."_

 _"So your mood isn't because I'm your date then?"_

 _"Don't push your luck… I was already in a bad mood today; just try not to make it worse."_

 _"And how do I avoid that fate?"_

 _"Don't talk about anything you know I don't want to talk about."_ She said simply as she thought it shouldn't be that hard for him to understand. When she saw him smirk at her she knew he was already forming a plan in his head so she cut his thoughts off. _"Besides… I've got to make sure everything runs smoothly like I planned it to; so I won't have much free time. As you can see… not everybody knows how to listen properly."_ She said as she gestured around her; spotting more empty champagne flutes. She held up a finger and walked over to grab a tray with some filled champagne flutes to exchange the empty ones with; making sure to smile to the guest they belonged to. When she spotted the busboy again she stomped over with the tray and pushed it firmly into his hands and warned him that the next time he messed up he would not get paid for the day; and that was after she showed him how to do things right with everyone there to see him having to be taught how to do his job.

She could hear Klaus chuckling from where he had taken a seat to watch her, but she ignored him as she went to give a look to the band and they finally listened to her; switching to a more festive, light-hearted song to play. When she turned around Carol was there to tell her that one of the girls had ripped their dress and didn't have a spare so she went up to inspect the dress. Seeing the dress had ripped on the seam she knew she could fix it and found a thread and needle to sew it back shut. On her way back out she saw more empty glasses and was about to just compel the guy to do his job right, but Elena cut in front of her.

Hearing Elena talking about Damon did not improve her mood, but she listened as she walked around making sure everyone was tended to. When Jeremy ran off Caroline thought she shouldn't just follow what Damon thought like a little puppy and go look for her brother; so she voiced her thoughts. What she hadn't expected was Elena to get defensive when she had said that Damon was never right. It got even worse when Caroline said Elena's feelings for Damon was clouding her judgment; her voice rising slightly as she expressed her thoughts and people were starting to look her way. When Klaus walked up she thought hell was going to freeze over and Elena thanked her for making a difficult time for her worse.

 _"How did I become the bad guy?"_ She asked out loud as she raised her arms and let them fall with her question. She couldn't believe Elena was actually Elena; she hadn't ever acted like that before. And the fact that they had fought over Damon made it that much more confusing; not to mention difficult.

 _"Come take a walk with me… I'll tell you all about being the bad guy."_ He offered and when she looked around again to see more empty champagne flutes she turned back to him.

 _"Give me just a minute… I'm going to solve one of my problems first."_ She said as she found the busboy sneaking a cigarette on the other side of the house away from the other guests. She took the cigarette from his hands and tossed it down to stomp it out before she pushed him up against the side of the house and compelled him to do his job correctly and forget that she had made him do it. Seeing him finally following directions she walked back over to Klaus. _"Done… I shouldn't have to switch any more glasses out today."_ She said with her hands on her hips and a nod. He chuckled knowingly as he held up a bottle of champagne and two flutes before lowering them back to his sides and turning for her to walk with him. She fell in step beside him but he kept their pace slow as they walked further out onto the grounds; still in sight of everyone but far enough she wouldn't get distracted as much.

 _"Now… about being the bad guy…"_

 _"I don't need to know… I'd say almost everybody here today thinks I'm evil; I've been a little cranky."_

 _"Then people should do as they're told… I'm amazed you didn't just drain the guy…"_

 _"Not doing his job correctly is not enough of a reason to kill him."_

 _"Now what seems to be the problem between you and the doppelganger?"_

 _"Don't even get me started…"_

 _"Well I did ask love."_

 _"Fine… she and Stefan broke up THIS MORNING and NOW she's following Damon around and listening to every word he says; which is not like Elena."_ She ranted as she moved her hands around in frustration, as if they could help explain her thoughts.

 _"So you think being a vampire has changed her…"_ He started but she knew that wasn't it so she quickly explained that his response wasn't the answer.

 _"But being a vampire doesn't change you… it only amplifies who you already are."_

 _"It's very peculiar, isn't it?"_ He asked and she looked back at him to see a smirk, but his eyes were looking ahead of them instead of her.

 _"What's that supposed to mean."_ She asked, knowing he was thinking something she hadn't thought of.

 _"Ah nothing you won't figure out eventually."_ He answered and she knew he wouldn't tell her so she tried a different tactic.

 _"Just… hurry up and find the cure already."_ She told him as she took a seat on the bench they had walked towards; silently letting him know that they were as far as she would go away from the crowd.

 _"I'm working on it."_ He replied as he bent towards her before taking a seat next to her as he started unwrapping the foil from the top of the bottle.

 _"Would you ever take it?"_ She asked, genuinely curious since they had talked a little bit about what she would decide to do. Seeing the expression on his face when she looked back told her he wouldn't, but he answered her anyway.

 _"Now why would I want to cure myself of being the most powerful creature on the planet?"_ He asked and she knew it was a rhetorical question, but she wanted to know some of the reasoning behind it; he had already lived 1000 years so in reality he had lived lifetimes.

 _"So there's not one time you ever thought about it?"_ She asked as he looked at her before popping the cork and pouring them both a flute full. She couldn't help but laugh at the face he had made; it was like he was surprised she had asked, but at the same time he had the arrogant, hybrid side of him that was ever present in their conversations. She was the one shocked when he laughed with her, but it quickly died down as she drank some of her champagne.

 _"How often have you thought about it?"_ He asked and she looked at him before making a face to suggest she didn't really know how often it had crossed her mind, but when he reached into his pocket as he stood she wondered what he was up to. _"Don't you miss the days where you were in charge of the yearly police raffle… or the chair of the Mystic Falls Beautification Program?"_

 _"Is that my Miss Mystic application?"_ She asked as she stood and he took a step back out of reach. _"Where did you get that?"_ She asked when she reached her hand out to get it from him but he took another step back and held the paper away so he could keep reading.

 _"Oh this is my favorite part (When I am chosen) now I'm really enjoying your use of 'when' here; it's very confident."_

 _"Ah huh."_ She said and placed her hands on her hips as she tried to fight the smile that was creeping onto her face.

 _"(When I am chosen… I intend to redefine excellence. I intend to inspire, transpire, and perspire…) obviously you had a shortage of the words ending in spire…"_

 _"Yeah… it's just hilarious."_ She remarked as she tried to get the paper away from him again; reaching for it a couple times but he extended his hand behind him as he looked at her challengingly. She knew she wouldn't get the paper away from him and the fact he was acting so carefree and jovial made her break out laughing, and she raised her hand against her mouth as she turned from him before taking her seat again. When he sat down next to her again she stopped laughing and looked back at him. _"You're really gonna hold on to that?"_

 _"Of course I am…"_

 _"Figures… I was nervous when I wrote that by the way…"_

 _"And why would that be?"_ He asked and she looked at him in disbelief; did he not understand what a big deal this was to a teenage girl? Probably not so she decided to explain it a little.

 _"This pageant is a big deal for human teenage girls here… and I was up against Elena and other founding family girls that are more upheld than me. It was the first thing I won against everybody… and it was because I had worked constantly to deserve it."_

 _"You deserve more than being a pageant winner though…"_

 _"That wasn't the point… the point was I was finally recognized for everything I had worked for; not just for being a founding family or Elena's friend."_

 _"And now love?"_

 _"And now… with everything going on… I don't quite know what to think about it anymore."_ She said sadly and looked back to the crowd; seeing everyone enjoying themselves, completely unaware of all the trouble and danger that surrounded them daily.

 _"It will always be a milestone for you… a memory you can look back on and remember what everything was like."_

 _"I guess so… I guess that depends on where I end up."_ She said before she looked back to him to see him giving a thoughtful nod. _"We better get back… I'm still not completely sure everything is going the way it should be."_ She said before he could start another conversation. He gave her a smile before they stood and took her empty glass back from her; not without a little resistance on her part since she had been collecting empty glasses since she had been there. As they were walking back he decided to keep talking so they would walk slowly again.

 _"I assume you're going to have more free time now that you're passing on your title today."_

 _"Yeah… a little. I still have all my clubs and events to do; I wasn't doing them just to win."_

 _"What are you going to do when school is over love?"_

 _"College."_

 _"Human things…"_

 _"Hey now… just because I'm a vampire it doesn't mean I'm changing my plans; at least not much."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"Well I can't exactly do broadcast journalism… with not aging it wouldn't be smart to be on TV."_

 _"I'd say not… so what will you choose to do?"_

 _"Oh I don't know for sure… I think I'm going to wait until I make up my mind about the cure."_ She said and he stepped in front of her to stop them from going further.

 _"You know… I never answered your question; if I ever thought about being human. I was on a trek in the Andes a couple centuries ago… and this hummingbird flew in front of me. And it just hovered there… its tiny heart just pattering away like a machine gun. And I thought… what a thing… to work that hard every day, just to stay alive; and how satisfying it must be to know it survived. That was the only time I ever thought about being human."_ He said and she gave a small smile in return. She didn't know what to say in return to that; she wouldn't have thought there would be a time he thought about it. But then an idea popped into her head; he had been pleasant and she had liked that he had been more open about himself.

 _"But you do know that."_

 _"What do you mean love?"_

 _"You survived every day when you were trying to get away from Mikael… I mean you weren't human for the past thousand years, but neither was he."_

 _"I never thought about it that way…"_

 _"Well I didn't say you went about it the best way… you know, with compelling people to serve you and you probably killed more people than I would want to know, but you did survive; you have parts of you that show human too."_

 _"But I'm not… and I have no interest in being one again."_

 _"You don't have to be human to show humanity."_ She said and walked around him to go back to her duties. She knew it was nearly time to crown the next Miss Mystic Falls and she would have to be there to pass the crown and sash on to the winner. She heard Klaus catching up to her and she knew he had stayed behind to process what she had said. As she was walking she saw Tyler and Hayley looking at her from the corner of her eye, but she didn't turn to look at them in return; ignoring them as she went about her tasks. She saw Bonnie talking to a guy she hadn't seen before and listened in to hear what they were talking about; hearing it was about magic she stopped listening. She knew Bonnie had found somebody to help her and she had spent a lot of time working with him, so she wasn't worried too much. Before she knew it, Klaus got her attention again by taking the glasses from her and pointing to Carol; she had obviously missed her cue as she had been listening in on Bonnie.

She let Klaus take the glasses with a thankful smile as she walked over to Carol as the judges handed over the envelope with the winner's name in it, and Caroline picked up the pillow containing the crown and sash she had turned back in that morning. When Carol called for everybody's attention she took her place next to Carol; ready to hand her over the pillow so she could crown the winner and secretly hoping April would win. When April was named the new Miss Mystic Falls Caroline didn't have to fake a smile as she handed Carol the pillow and picked up the crown; placing it on April's head and then placing the sash over the girl before hugging her in congratulations. When she took a step back so April could do her winning walk she took a breath of relief; she wasn't Miss Mystic anymore.

She could see Tyler and Hayley watching her from one angle and at another angle there was Klaus; who she was sure was glancing at Tyler from time to time. She was ever so glad would she could exit the stage and let April take over; even if she would still have to see the ceremony through to the end. Klaus met her at the bottom of the stage and walked her to an area she could keep up her supervising while giving them privacy as well. She knew that once people left she would be busy with clean-up and April would have to watch so she knew what some of her new responsibilities were. What she didn't expect was Klaus to stay with her and help her clean up; not much but the fact he helped at all had her standing there gaping at him.

When everything was cleaned and they were ready to go Caroline pulled out a binder and gave it to April. She didn't want to go into everything in detail like she had on the notes inside the binder, but she gave April a brief summary of how everything she would need to know and do was in the binder. She couldn't help but giggle a little at April's nervous face before she explained that the responsibilities weren't as hard as what she was thinking; she had made the binder to help her and she could add to it to pass on to the next year's winner. Carol had made her way over to the girls and expressed how it had been a good idea, and that it made her job a little easier; leaving Caroline feeling awkward since it was her ex's mom that was praising her efforts. When April left Carol asked to talk to her for a couple minutes and she easily agreed; she didn't have a problem with Carol, just Tyler.

 _"I'm sorry about what my son did… I know it was wrong for him to hurt you."_

 _"Mrs. Lockwood… he's your son… it's alright. I don't blame you for any of it."_

 _"I just don't want things to be stressed between us. Your mom and I are still friends… and I've come to enjoy your company the past few months."_

 _"I won't be coming over here but if you ever want to talk to me you know where I live, and I'm sure we'll see each other in town."_

 _"I understand… but you're welcome to come to me for anything. You're not with my son anymore but I do still care what happens to you."_

 _"That means a lot to me… the same goes for me; if you get into trouble… or you need my help then I want you to come to me and I'll help you."_ She replied as she pulled the older woman to her for a hug; making sure it didn't last too long but long enough Carol wouldn't feel she was just putting on a show.

 _"You take care of yourself Caroline… you're a good girl."_ Carol told her before walking away to go inside and Caroline walked to go around the house to get to her car and saw Klaus stepping in to walk with her.

 _"It would appear she still likes you love."_

 _"Well I like her too… she's just trying to make sure no one gets hurt just because Tyler and I broke up."_

 _"She's worried about Tyler…"_

 _"Of course she is… she's his mother; they're all the family they have left now."_

 _"Shall I walk you home?"_

 _"I drove here…"_

 _"I didn't… how about I ride with you to your house and then I'll go home the rest of the way by myself?"_

 _"I could give you a ride home… you've behaved today; it's the least I could do."_

 _"Well I would prefer making sure you were home before going home myself."_

 _"Alright…"_

 _"Perfect."_ He answered as he held out his hands for her keys; standing in front of her driver side door and effectively blocking her way.

 _"You are not driving my car…"_

 _"I CAN drive sweetheart…"_

 _"Mom and I are the only ones insured to drive my car… and you might not care about human laws, but I do."_ She said as she hit the unlock button on her car and he smirked before opening the door for her. When they were both settled in the car she put on her seatbelt and noticed he hadn't. _"I care about seatbelt laws too Klaus."_ She pressed and watched as he rolled his eyes before putting the seatbelt over him and looking at her expectantly, so she started up the car and started pulling away.

 _"Do you ever test your car to see if it can actually hit the numbers on the speedometer?"_

 _"No and I'm not going to."_

 _"I would have guessed differently when you took off the day you brought Hayley to Tyler."_

 _"I was angry… and I was hoping some of the gravel would hit him."_ She admitted as she shrunk down in the seat a little; embarrassed by her behavior as she remembered the day.

 _"I think it did love."_ He offered and she laughed as she shook her head before focusing on the road. _"So what are your plans for the rest of the evening?"_

 _"I'm hanging out with Stefan… he likes to know he won't lose control when he's upset; and after this morning he's upset."_

 _"Ah yes… I nearly forgot about that."_

 _"Personally I think Elena should be with Stefan, but she doesn't listen to me; apparently the only one she will listen to now is Damon."_

 _"Perhaps I will stay with you until the rippah arrives…"_

 _"He's not a ripper right now… don't call him that…"_

 _"Whether or not he's on a killing spree… he's a rippah; it's his vampiric nature love."_

 _"Well right now he needs a friend that he can trust to keep him from spiraling again; and that's where I step in."_ She said with a small smile as she pulled up to see Stefan sitting on her porch and looking at her car worriedly. So she stepped out and walked up to greet him with Klaus on her heels.

 _"Hey Care. Klaus, what are you doing here?"_

 _"Just making sure Caroline made it home… I would offer to join you two but I don't think my company is welcomed."_

 _"I kind of need a friend day."_ Stefan offered and Klaus nodded before turning to Caroline and raising her hand to put a kiss on her knuckles.

 _"As much as I enjoyed your company sweetheart, I know it's time to call it a day. I'll see you around love."_

 _"You know Klaus… if you behaved like you did today more often, there wouldn't be as much fighting."_

 _"Ah but I was on my best behavior today love…"_

 _"Exactly… maybe you should try that more often than what you've been doing; since it hasn't really worked for you and all."_ She said with a small smile so he knew she didn't want to fight; she was just making an observation.

 _"I'll take it under consideration… enjoy your evening Caroline, Stefan."_ He returned with a small smile of his own before flashing away and leaving Caroline and Stefan on the porch.

 _"And Stefan… not a word… I know what that looked like."_ She said as she lifted up her house key so they could go inside; she wanted to change her clothes before they went out in the forest.

 _"So how DID he behave today?"_

 _"Well let's see… he didn't kill anybody, didn't feed on anybody, didn't get in a fight with anyone, did not behave ungentlemanly towards me; he acted almost human the whole time."_

 _"You have GOT to be kidding me."_ He asked in disbelief.

 _"No… and here's the shocker; he helped me clean up after everybody when it was over."_ She answered and put her hands up in front of her for dramatically effect.

 _"Klaus cleaned up?"_ He asked shocked and she would have never guessed Stefan's eyes could widen that far so she laughed before explaining.

 _"Not much… but the fact that he helped at all had me standing there looking at him like an idiot."_ She explained before walking towards her room to change.

 _"Well it would me too… I would think the only thing he knows how to clean up is a crime scene."_

 _"I know, right?"_ She said seriously before holding up a finger and closing her door so she could change; using her vampire speed to rush through the process so they could go. When she emerged from her room she grabbed his arm and tugged them for the front door; stopping to leave her mom a note before they left. She was determined to cheer her friend up and decided to get Matt involved so he wouldn't have so much alone time either.


	19. Chapter 19

***Quick Note: Sorry about the delays in updating. I have been in tonsillectomy hell and had to go back to the hospital after surgery because I started to go into shock from an infection (thrash pretty much) that came out of nowhere. My medication got increased and my activity got decreased. I've spent days working on my college coursework and finally got caught up there so now I am trying to get caught up on here. I already had this chapter loaded and ready to publish but the amount of medication I was taking kept me from even thinking about my computer until a few days ago.**

 **Now this chapter is going to likely tick a few people off or give you the feeling of WTF but it'll clear up over the next couple chapters. We all know how people can react without planning and this is going to show that. We also know that when someone fails to give details, then misunderstandings can occur; which you will also see. I myself consider this chapter a filler but some might not, so I hope y'all enjoy and it doesn't tick anybody off too much. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 19**

Two days later Caroline was eating breakfast with her mom when she heard a car pull up and then steps coming to the door. She let her mom know they had company before walking to the door as she saw Stefan behind the glass about to knock. Smiling at him as she walked the rest of the way she hollered to her mom to let her know it was Stefan before letting him in. He asked if he could talk to her and her mom about something and Caroline immediately began to worry, but he assured her it wasn't anything dangerous; just a favor he needed to ask. She nodded and led him into the kitchen where her mom told him to take a seat as she dipped out some pancakes and set it down in front of him; not giving him any option to decline.

 _"So Stefan… what brings you here this morning?"_ Liz asked around her cup of coffee and Caroline went back to eating as she listened to them.

 _"Well… I need a favor. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind me staying here for a little while so I can avoid my house."_

 _"What's wrong with your house?"_

 _"My brother and Elena are there… and Elena and I broke up; I don't really want to hear them getting closer. I asked Matt first for obvious reasons; him being a guy would have been more suitable for you two, but the only spare rooms in his house were his mom's and Vicki's so I didn't want to intrude. I know you have a guestroom and you know I wouldn't do anything with your daughter; we're just friends."_ Stefan explained with a smile and Caroline laughed as she saw her mom's face scrunch up slightly and she sat up straighter.

 _"Mom it's Stefan… I trust him. Please? You know it would be good to have someone here when one of us is gone to keep the other company."_ Caroline pleaded with her mother and Liz looked at her before pinching her lips together slightly.

 _"Stefan… you can stay… and don't you two be getting yourselves into trouble; regular or supernatural trouble."_

 _"Thank you Liz."_ Stefan replied as Caroline threw her fist in the air as she bounced in her seat with her little victory ritual. _"I'll help you keep an eye on her."_ He added and Caroline dropped her arms as they flew out to the sides.

 _"Stefan… I'm a hybrid; I'm stronger and faster than you… it'll be more me keeping an eye on you."_ She exclaimed and they laughed as Liz shook her head.

 _"I've got my bags in the car… it'll only be until I get an apartment or something set up…"_

 _"Nonsense Stefan… you will stay here until one of us kicks you out."_ Caroline replied as she stood to put her plate in the sink and dashed out of the kitchen to go get the guestroom ready.

 _"She's here alone a lot… the idea of her having company means you'll be staying here a while."_ Liz informed him as he shook his head wondering what he had gotten himself into. He stood and went to get his bags, meeting Caroline in the hall saying the room was ready before dashing off to her own room. She went about changing into clothes to go into the woods in since Stefan was going to stay there; it meant more hunting trips. She quickly packed a small bag with extra clothes and a blanket in case she got to shift and set the bag on her bed before going to see if Stefan needed help putting stuff away. He declined her help and she went to help her mom clean up the breakfast dishes before her mom excused herself to go to work. Once she had everything clean again she started setting up for lunch so it wouldn't take much time when they got back and she wanted to make a good dinner for that night.

 _"So what's on the agenda for today?"_ Stefan asked when he came into the kitchen to see her putting everything back up in the fridge for later.

 _"We are going to go on a hunting trip… and then we'll have lunch, watch some TV, have dinner, and watch some more TV."_ She replied before she went and got her bag to bring to the kitchen. _"So go get a spare outfit in case you get blood all over you… I've got mine in case I'm allowed to shift."_

 _"I thought Klaus said it wouldn't be wise to shift?"_ He asked seriously.

 _"If I shift I'll shift in the cells… I haven't got to shift in a while Stef… I miss it."_ She explained as she began to whine and pull her pout face to get her way.

 _"Fine… but we're hunting while you're in your human form."_

 _"Yes! Thanks Stef."_ She replied as she jumped excitedly and he rolled his eyes before going to get his clothes and put them in a bag. They decided to drop off their bags at the cellar so they wouldn't have to pack them around while hunting and made a bet to see who got the best game. With both of them drinking from blood bags they didn't really need to hunt to feed; they merely needed to feel the hunt to please their vampire sides so they would have it under control since part of the problem with bloodlust was the hunt. She wouldn't kill the animals she fed from and Stefan had improved enough he didn't kill the larger game; but the poor little bunnies still didn't stand a chance from him in her opinion. After they had hunted for over an hour they went back to the cellar and Caroline shifted into her wolf form; coming out of the cell to see Stefan holding up a ball. She growled at him playfully and he laughed before he put the ball back up and sat down to relax while she played around the cells; only playing around for an hour so Stefan wouldn't get bored before shifting back so they could head back home.

Over the next week they fell into a rhythm of school, meals, hunting, her shifting, TV, and homework; not really having much else to do. She had been surprised that Elena hadn't complained about Stefan staying with her like she thought she would, but didn't think much of it at first. Elena wasn't the only one she worried about reacting to Stefan moving in with her; she wondered if Klaus would show up and start a fight over it. She had seen him in town a couple times but had managed to avoid talking to him so far and he hadn't showed up or called either of them since they had last seen him. So she focused on what she was currently doing; hunting again with Stefan. She had even been humoring him and playing fetch when she had shifted but getting dirt in her mouth wasn't very appealing and she had told him that; ceasing his teasing with dog toys. Both of them had been caught up in feeding they didn't hear when company had joined them.

 _"Well… if it isn't my two favorite people in Mystic Falls."_ She heard Klaus say and broke away from the deer while she noticed Stefan breaking away from his own. _"I thought I might find you two out together since you both currently live under the same roof; yet no one was home."_ He finished as she wiped her mouth off and let her hybrid features disappear before turning around to face him; seeing him slightly agitated she figured it was over Stefan living at her house.

 _"Well it's not like my mom or I would make him stay at his house with Damon and Elena there."_ She replied as she placed her hands on her hips to show that she wasn't in the mood for any of his attitude that day.

 _"I trust you've listened to my advice sweetheart?"_

 _"She's not shifted where anyone would see her."_ Stefan answered for her and she looked behind her at him before looking back to Klaus.

 _"Stefan, Matt, my mom, and you are the only ones that know I'm a different color and Stefan keeps a lookout when I want to shift to make sure no one else sees."_ She explained and he smirked at her before walking between them.

 _"Well Stefan… how about watching for both of us? You wouldn't be in danger from either of us and no one would see her and I are different from the others."_ He asked and Caroline looked to Stefan to mouth 'no' but he couldn't see her so she spoke up.

 _"And if I don't want to shift with you?"_ She asked sarcastically and he turned to face her.

 _"I would like to speak to you and I doubt very much Stefan would like to be too far from you so the only way to let both things occur would be in wolf form; he wouldn't understand a word we said."_ Klaus replied and she narrowed her eyes at him.

 _"What do you want to talk about that Stefan can't hear? You already told him about the wolf histories…"_ She pointed out but Klaus cut her off.

 _"Ah yes but we both know there is more to it than what Stefan knows…"_ Klaus countered and Stefan spoke up to prevent a fight.

 _"Care if you don't mind shifting to talk to him I don't mind keeping a lookout; from outside the cellar though."_ Stefan explained and she whined before stomping her foot with a growl.

 _"Fine! But if you tick me off don't be surprised if I snap your neck."_ She answered as she pointed her finger at Klaus to let him know she was serious. He held up his hands in mock surrender before gesturing for them to leave the area to go to the cellars. She and Stefan flashed ahead with Klaus right on their heels until they got to the Forbes cellar.

 _"Let me change before you two shift… I don't want to cause a panic if I see a hiker or something."_ Stefan requested before flashing into the cellar; leaving Klaus and Caroline outside alone.

 _"Have you even shifted since you broke your hybrid curse?"_ Caroline asked and he smirked at her before stepping closer.

 _"I was a wolf after the ritual for a night… but since then?"_ He asked and she nodded. _"No I haven't."_

 _"Do you even know how to make yourself shift?"_ She asked and he raised a brow at her.

 _"I did start to shift when I was in the pup's body sweetheart…"_

 _"I forgot about that. How do you know you're in control if you've only shifted the one time?"_

 _"Because I was in control that time love… and it's part of being a hybrid. Although you're the only one of my hybrids that seems to have mastered it; the others still haven't quite figured out the trick."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"They had all triggered their wolf gene and were used to not being in control when they were forced to shift under the full moon; now that they can control it, the ones that have shifted are still like their former werewolf selves."_

 _"They're not in control?"_

 _"They are but they aren't sweetheart… they don't try to control themselves; they just let their former instincts take over."_ He explained as Stefan came out of the cellar and looked between the two.

 _"I guess that means don't go around the other hybrids unless you're in a good mood."_ Stefan quipped as he spoke to Klaus and Klaus nodded in return as Caroline was still processing what he had told her. _"You're up Care… go shift; bark when you're done."_ Stefan told her and she smacked him playfully before flashing into her cell to start stripping; wrapping the blanket around her when she was done and getting on the floor. It didn't take long for her anymore, and it hurt less, but the pain never fully went away as she always hurried through the shifting process. She exited the cell when she was done and went halfway up the stairs to say Stefan's name in wolf form; his name coming out as a bark as he had said to do.

 _"Come along sweetheart… you have to show me where you want me to turn."_ Klaus said as he flashed to meet her on the steps and let it hand glide over her back. She gave him a huff but turned to take him to an empty cell. He walked in and looked around before he started shedding his clothes and she yipped before running out of the cell; Klaus flashing behind her to catch her and hold her still. _"Caroline… I'll be more in control if another wolf is in there while I turn."_ He stated and she nipped at his arm to get him to release her. He let her go and she turned to look at him; seeing him look serious about his statement she rolled her eyes and went into her cell. She heard him about to follow her so she grabbed the blanket in her mouth and ran back out of her cell; passing him up as she dragged it towards the one she had showed him.

He seemed to catch on and gave her a nod before getting the blanket from her and letting her know he would call her in when he was covered. She heard the clothes hitting the ground from outside the cell and wished she wouldn't have to go in there; she knew that blanket could fall away if the person using it moved too much. Right after the clothes stopped falling she heard him call her in and she approached the door slowly as she peeked to make sure he was covered before coming into the cell. She would never admit it to him but what she could see of his body looked really good to her in that moment; shaking out of her thoughts she kept her head turned so she wouldn't be tempted to look again. She barely heard him pull the cell door closed before he was in the floor in front of her with his hand turning her head to look at him.

She waited on him to say something but he didn't; he just kept looking at her with his fingers brushing over the fur at her neck. She started feeling nervous under his stare and tried to pull her head back but he brought his other hand up to hold her in place. She didn't dare move once she looked back at him; seeing his eyes turning gold as they roamed over her. He moved back right before the bones started snapping and she moved to stand in front of the door to block him from leaving if he tried. She knew she wouldn't be able to stop him if he really wanted to leave, but she wasn't about to sit idly by when Stefan was right outside and could get killed if Klaus lost control and made it outside. He started yelling with the pain and Stefan flashed down to see what was happening, but Klaus told him to go so he left again.

It took longer than it had for her and Klaus kept looking at her every time his body would take a break from shifting. She found it unnerving to say the least that he kept looking at her since she didn't know what he was thinking. Whatever he seemed to be channeling to force his shift wasn't working so she kept barking at him; saying 'anger' but she didn't know if he could understand her while he was still in human form. He didn't seem to understand so Caroline looked around to in thought to think of what would make him mad; finally deciding to bite at him. He got angry alright; he just didn't turn into a wolf like she planned so she got the blanket from him as she closed her eyes.

Pulling the blanket over her and getting under it the best she could she focused her anger on turning back. Within minutes she was naked and human under the blanket; breathing heavily she told him to focus on anger to force the shift instead of whatever he had been using. She let herself rest for a minute before shifting again and coming out from under the blanket with her eyes closed; reaching down to pick the blanket up and blindly take it back to him. He hadn't said anything to her about what she had just done for him but he let her know when he was covered so she could open her eyes and move back in front of the door. She watched him close his eyes and drift off into his thoughts before the bones started snapping again; and much faster. Bracing herself she prepared for a lunge in case she needed it as he snapped the last bones needed to turn and the fur revealed itself; grey just like he had said.

He didn't attack or try to get past her like she thought he would, but she didn't expect him to come over and start sniffing at her. She growled in warning as she moved over to the side, but he followed until she had backed herself in a corner and he was in front of her again. She asked him what he wanted to talk about, but it turned out he hadn't wanted to talk; he wanted to shift with her. She didn't know if anger or shock was the strongest emotion at his admission but she didn't stop herself from lunging to bite at him. She knew he was stronger and he'd probably block her attack but she didn't care; at least she hadn't until his blocks put him on top of her. After a few choice words and threats to remove parts of his anatomy he got up so she could move out from under him; growling almost constantly now since she had lost her patience minutes ago. She could hear him laughing and the strangest part was how it almost sounded like human laughing; yet she still wasn't amused.

He tried to come near her again several times but she would growl in return; since he had closed the door she didn't really have hands to open it and leave so she was stuck humoring him until he shifted back or Stefan let them out. She was half tempted to change back herself but she would have to go past him to retrieve the blanket and he would likely try to stop her, so she stretched out on the ground with her head on her paws. He moved closer as he began trying to talk to her again; appealing to the pack mentality of a wolf by offering to shift with her so she wouldn't have to shift alone and neither would he. She understood that neither of them could shift around other wolves without them noticing something was different, and she had wanted someone to shift with her, but she didn't like that the only halfway-safe option was Klaus; being the only other royal wolf around.

She was internally debating what to say in return when he switched tactics and brought up her heritage; well the rules regarding royal wolves anyway. He started telling her the side stories of the families that formed the royal wolves; and one of the reasons the lesser wolves started the wars. The lesser wolves had feared the royal wolves joining with each other and breeding a new generation that would have more power than their parents; more power over the lesser wolves. One of the grey wolves had been seeing a lesser wolf when they had been made and they had been forced to separate until a solution could be formed; and the grey wolf had been betrothed since infancy to the white wolf that had been courting the witch's sister that had made them all wolves. She asked him if the grey wolf was part of his line but he said it had not been directly; the different colors were different families and you were only related to wolves that were the same color so it would have been more distant relative of his.

After the families had been made into wolves the betrothal had ended but the lesser wolves still believed the families would try to join; so they started the war. He continued on and she learned that the grey wolf line that was supposed to join with hers was the one that had been killed off; leaving Klaus and one other grey line somewhere out there in the world, plus the two tan lines. When he had stopped talking she went over her thoughts repeatedly until something clicked in her head. Then she asked if the story he had told was the reason he had been so persistent in his chase; if he was trying to go against the lesser wolves by joining with another royal wolf. Her being the only royal wolf that was a hybrid would be why he had pursued her if her theory was correct; even if he was denying it, it only made her more suspicious. She knew he was getting agitated with her, but she didn't care; she wasn't about to be used for any of his plans and she moved further away from him.

That seemed to make things worse and she heard his bones start snapping so she turned away from him as he began shifting back. Immediately after the room went quiet she felt him pulling her away from the door as he put the blanket over her. She didn't want to shift back in there again; she wanted her cell away from him, where her things were. He didn't give her any choice as he blocked the door from her and she noticed her had somehow managed to put his pants on sometime between ending his shift and putting the blanket over her; but that was all he had put on and he hadn't bothered to button or zip them up yet so she was reluctant to turn back yet. He leaned against the door crossing his arms across his chest and she knew he wouldn't let her out of the room until she had shifted back.

She let her anger course through her as she ducked further under the blanket and she began transforming back to her normal self. When she was done she peeked out from under the blanket to find that he had turned around to give her a little bit of privacy and she wrapped the blanket around; making sure it was secure before attempting to get past him and out the cell door. She wasn't surprised that he didn't let her leave, but she was shocked when she found herself on the ground again with him lying on top of her with his hand over her mouth. Her mind raced with the different outcomes that could come of this as she fought against him uselessly and he grip his hand tighter on her mouth before quieting her.

 _"Hush sweetheart."_ He said quietly towards her ear and she knew Stefan couldn't hear them; she knew it wouldn't do much good to call for help but she didn't know what Klaus would do for sure. _"Be quiet and I'll remove my hand."_ He offered and she stopped moving as she looked at him. _"Now… it would a shame for Stefan to suffer if you didn't listen to me sweetheart… so I'm going to take my hand away and you're going to listen to me without the backtalk or screaming."_ He warned and she tried to nod but she couldn't move her head. He slowly pulled his hand away and braced it next to her head as she kept herself from screaming for Stefan's sake.

 _"Get off of me."_ Caroline whispered harshly and he shushed her again.

 _"Calm yourself love… if I was going to force myself on you you'd already be screaming my name."_ He spoke and she scrunched her face up but stopped moving again. _"I want you to realize something… if I was after you just for the power you would bring me, I'd already have you; you'd be locked up inside my home where no one would get to you. And it would be so easy to get to you sweetheart…"_

 _"You're insane…"_ She started but he brought a finger up to her mouth in warning.

 _"I can be patient Caroline… after all, I did wait a thousand years to break my curse and put an end to my father. You don't even realize the full impact of declining the other alphas sweetheart; you crossed out all your options but me…"_

 _"I declined you too…"_ She stated stubbornly as her panic started rising and he chuckled before carrying on.

 _"Ah yes… but you can't make it a command on me like you did them. And until Elena is human there won't be more hybrids for you to choose from; if I even turn anymore alphas."_

 _"Unless I take the cure too."_ She stated; knowing as just a wolf instead of a hybrid she could get around his new declaration and she would do it if it meant he'd leave her alone.

 _"And who says I wouldn't just turn you again sweetheart?"_ He asked and she couldn't help the look of fear that came from her. _"I know you like being a hybrid; having the control you have and being able to shift any time you'd like. Imagine if you took the cure and I turned you again; you'd like it too much not to develop a sire bond…"_

 _"No…"_

 _"Unless you're willing to bet being a royal wolf would keep you from having one. And I don't believe you'd really want to take the cure in the first place. You prefer being who you are now to the girl you once were; you like being strong, ageless, fearless. We're more alike than you wish to know sweetheart; and one day you'll realize that."_

 _"Having a few things in common doesn't make us alike Klaus..."_ She grit out as she fought against the emotions clawing at her and focused on keeping the tears she felt forming from coming. She wouldn't let him force her to be with him; nor would she play along with his little games. She couldn't let herself open up either and betray her friends either. She felt backed into a corner without many choices to choose from.

 _"One day you'll give in to me love… and it'll be sooner than you would think."_ Klaus answered and her head snapped back to look at him as she shook it in disagreement. _"Like I said… if I wanted to force you to be by my side like how you accuse then you wouldn't be able to stop me; nor would anyone else you know. But I don't want to hurt you; and that would destroy you."_ He stated as he looked her over much like he had while she had been a wolf and she pushed at him again.

 _"You think by threatening everyone I care about that I'd run straight to you?"_ She asked as she felt disgusted at the thought and he gripped her arms to pull her up off the floor so he could pull her into his lap and her ear was nearly touching his mouth.

 _"I'm not threatening your loved ones Caroline… you obviously missed the point; I said it would be easy to force you into this. I will have you one day love, but I'm not going to tear you apart to get you to come to me."_ He explained and paused to bring her face around to face him as he tugged on her chin. _"So we're going to do things a little differently from here on out sweetheart. If you want to shift then know I will be shifting with you and if you leave town I will follow you. I'm not going to make it easy for you to resist for too long."_ He informed before releasing her and she flashed to the other cell to try and clothe herself quickly to get away from him faster. She heard him whoosh past her cell and began to worry about Stefan so she used her vampire speed to finish dressing before rushing out of the cell and nearly ran into him. _"Leaving so soon love?"_

 _"I have to get dinner started…"_ She replied; she knew it was a lame excuse but she didn't want him to know how scared she was. _"I'd like to have it done for when my mom comes home."_ She added when he raised an eyebrow at her reason for leaving.

 _"Very well sweetheart… I'll see you soon."_ He answered as he moved to let her pass him and she felt a shiver run up her spine; she knew he'd make good on his words to see her soon, but she didn't know when he'd show up or where. She gave a sharp nod as she fisted her hands next to her and walked past him and out of the cellar. She could hear Klaus still right behind her as he followed her out and she saw Stefan's concerned face as she walked towards him; but she indicated with her eyes that it wasn't the time to talk. _"Oh and Stefan…"_ She heard Klaus begin as she and Stefan turned to see what he wanted now. _"Do make sure to contact me if there are any problems; especially regarding our dear Caroline here."_

 _"Why are you so interested in Caroline? What are you up to?"_ Stefan asked suspiciously and Caroline put herself in front of him in case Klaus decided to lash out against him. Klaus smirked as he placed his hands behind his back and took a couple steps forward.

 _"I'm simply looking out for her future Stefan. As her friend, I'm sure you can agree her welfare is important… and that nothing should happen to her. I don't think I need to say what I would do SHOULD something befall upon her."_ Klaus stated as he circled them until he was standing in front of them again. _"Mark my words Stefan… should anything happen to her no one would be safe from me and this town would run red; that I can guarantee you mate."_ He finished with his trademark smirk and stepped back to leave.

 _"I don't need you to tell me to watch out for my best friend… I was doing that long before you came to town."_ Stefan replied and Klaus turned around with his smirk still in place.

 _"That is why I'm letting you know the consequences should you fail to continue looking out for her safety."_ Klaus warned before glancing to Caroline and flashing away. Once he was gone Caroline grabbed Stefan's arm and started flashing them back to her house. Once they were inside she was a whirlwind as she checked each room to make sure he hadn't went there ahead of them before going to the kitchen and pulling out the first alcoholic beverage her hands came upon. She saw Stefan come into the kitchen behind her looking at her worriedly and she reached up and got another bottle for him to set on the table before taking her seat to begin chugging her own drink down. He took a seat but didn't drink and she sat her drink down to cover her face as she finally broke down; not able to hold anything back anymore. She wasn't crying but she could definitely feel a panic attack setting in.

She barely noticed Stefan trying to console her as he pulled her into a comforting hug; she noticed even less when he picked her up and took her to the couch so they could both sit. It took a few minutes before she pulled away so she could put dinner in the oven and retrieve her drink from the table and going back to sit with Stefan. She didn't know how to talk to him about what Klaus had told her; or how to even broach the topic, but she knew she had to say something. Stefan had tried asking her questions while she had been freaking out but she hadn't been able to answer him and for a while he had been silent; just letting her carry on until she could calm down. Now he was looking at her expectantly and she knew she had to tell him; she just hoped he would be able to tell her what to do.

 _"What did he do to you?"_ Stefan asked and she huffed as she tried to keep from repeating her little episode. _"Did he… try something... with you?"_ Stefan asked more quietly as he looked her over and she could see the concern and anger in his face.

 _"No he didn't."_ Caroline managed to say and she saw him breathe in relief before moving closer to put his hands on her shoulders. _"But he made it clear that he could if it's what he wanted to do."_ She added and saw him pale slightly as he pulled his hands back to give her some needed space.

 _"What DOES he want?"_ He asked and she knew he was afraid of her answer so she didn't drag it out.

 _"Me."_ She answered in a strangled tone and he looked at her a little confused so she explained it more thoroughly. _"Remember when I told you that I issued a command for the other alphas to leave me alone so they would understand that I didn't choose any of them?"_

 _"Yeah… so you could stay with Tyler."_ Stefan answered as he turned to face her better.

 _"Well… apparently when I did that it left the only other hybrid alpha…"_

 _"Klaus."_ Stefan finished as he caught on to what she was saying exactly.

 _"Yeah…"_ She answered and took a breath before continuing. _"So unless Elena takes the cure and he turns more alphas…"_

 _"He'll stay the only choice for you to make."_ Stefan finished again and she nodded. _"What if you take the cure? It would give you options again…"_

 _"He'd just turn me again."_ She answered as she waved her hands out to the sides to show she was stuck. _"You don't get it Stef… he's covered every way of getting away from him. If I left town he'd follow, he has every one of you guys and my mom as leverage against me, and you heard him say what would happen if I died. How am I supposed to get out of this?"_ She ranted as she fought against the tears that were threatening their return.

 _"He won't force you… so we have time to figure this out…"_ Stefan mused out loud and she saw him scrambling to find a solution.

 _"He said he was patient Stefan… but I know if I push that patience too far he'll snap; and then he probably would force me."_ Caroline countered and Stefan looked again. _"He said he didn't want to hurt me by going after all of you; he knows I'd hate him. What happens when I keep saying no? Do I just sit back and hope that no works and he goes away?"_

 _"We'll think of something Caroline."_ He spoke and she could tell he was trying to make himself believe it was the truth; that they would figure out a loophole.

 _"I think I'm getting mental whiplash. One minute he acts almost normal; human. In the next moment he's right back to terrorizing. I'm not sure what I should do anymore to be honest. And I'm still not sure what his game plan is to be sure... he has to want something from me. Aside from being royal wolf and one of the hybrids he created, there's nothing that stands out to me. So... why me? I don't get it."_ She mused out loud and watched as Stefan started trying to figure it out himself.

 _"Well we know he hates to be alone... that's why he kept daggering his family. He made me go with him werewolf hunting because we had been friends in the 20s. Plus I'm sure he was aggravated that I've been staying here with you guys... today could have been a reaction from jealousy if he thought there was more to the situation than just me crashing here. And as much as you or anyone hates to admit it... there are similarities between the two of you; enough for him to notice."_

 _"I just want to find a loophole or something... but for now I can just try to avoid him. If I can't then I hope he's calmed down from whatever got him riled up."_

 _"Just don't stress yourself too much. We'll find something... we always do somehow."_ Stefan replied and she nodded. They sat quietly for a minute as they both kept trying to come up with ideas until she heard a car pull up and she knew her mom was home.

 _"Don't tell my mom about this… I don't want to put her in danger more than she already is; she'd try to confront him or something."_ Caroline said quickly as she flashed to put the liquor bottles up, check her face to clean it up, and then see if dinner was done. She greeted her mom when she came into the kitchen and informed her and Stefan that dinner was nearly done. Her mom went to change her clothes as she and Stefan set the table and he finally got her to sit so he could get the lasagna out of the oven. She and Stefan did good work on acting like nothing was wrong or out of the ordinary and her mother didn't pick up on anything. So when night fell and Liz went to bed Caroline forced herself to sleep in her room alone instead of going to sleep with her mom or Stefan; tossing and turning until nearly dawn when sleep claimed her.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

It had been 3 days since Klaus had shown up during her and Stefan's hunting trip and Caroline had finally managed to sleep at least half the night. Stefan had been on the lookout for Klaus wherever they went and she had tried to not let Klaus' warnings get to her as she went into planning for the Winter Wonderland festival. Over the course of those 3 days she noticed Elena's behavior change as she spent more time with Damon and starting going by everything he said instead of how she normally would think or act; leading to several arguments that had them walking away from each other. She had tried to spend time with Bonnie and Matt too, but Bonnie was busy with her magic and Matt was busy with work; so she spent time with Stefan and worked on the festival. Today she was determined to finish with the planning for Winter Wonderland so Stefan had agreed to help her; even though it was still a couple weeks away. She called Elena to see what her opinion would be for a few of the decorations, and ended up arguing that she hadn't called her for Damon's opinion; that she had wanted hers.

 _"She's starting to act just like a crazy person…"_ She vented to Stefan, even though she had done good to avoid discussing Elena with him. _"Every time I ask her something she asks Damon and then she agrees with everything he says."_

 _"I don't know Care… she's just not the same girl anymore."_ Stefan said sadly and Caroline pressed her lips in thought; she wanted to drop it so he'd cheer back up but she also thought they should confront the problem.

 _"But that's just it Stefan… becoming a vampire doesn't change who you are. Elena never let either of you make decisions for her… she always had her own opinion; now she doesn't. If Damon says jump she jumps… if Damon says something doesn't matter it doesn't matter. Just like at the pageant… Elena agreed with me that the blue dress was better for April until Damon said the red dress was better; then she went along with him."_

 _"It does sound strange when you put it like that."_ Stefan voiced his thought out loud and looked at her. _"What are you getting at?"_

 _"You tried to teach her to hunt animals and Damon told her it would be better to feed from the vein; she couldn't handle animal blood. Then you tried blood bags and she couldn't handle those either. Then the pageant happened; and it wasn't just the dress that agreed with Damon over. When Jeremy went missing she was worried until Damon told her that it was probably nothing; that he was likely off getting drunk or something."_ She continued her rant and watched as his face crinkled as he thought about what she was saying. The last time she had seen behavior like hers was when she was with Tyler and they had been newly turned.

 _"She's doing everything he says…"_ Stefan summarized and she looked at him seriously.

 _"Yeah… just like Tyler and the other hybrids with Klaus."_

 _"Besides you."_ Stefan pointed out and she rolled her eyes before commenting.

 _"I wasn't sired to Klaus like the others Stef…"_ She stated but stopped when they both snapped their heads to look at each other. _"But that would mean…"_

 _"That Elena is sired to Damon."_ Stefan finished and Caroline covered her mouth as her eyebrows shot up.

 _"Can a vampire even be sired by another vampire?"_ Caroline asked and Stefan shrugged slightly before leaning back against the couch.

 _"I'm not for sure… it's understandable with the hybrids; they're grateful they don't have to turn unless they want to."_

 _"What would it mean for her if she was sired to Damon?"_ She asked quietly and Stefan broke out of his thoughts to look back at her.

 _"I don't know… but I have to tell Damon; we have to test it."_ He replied and her curiosity peaked.

 _"Test it? How are you going to test it?"_ She asked curiously.

 _"Blood… she's been feeding from the vein, but if Damon tells her to try to drink from a bag again because he wants her to and she holds it down we'll know."_ Stefan answered as he mused out loud and she wondered how they would tell Elena. _"Don't say anything until we know for sure. If she is we have to figure out a way to break it."_

 _"How? The only way Tyler broke it was to shift over and over until he wasn't grateful for not having to shift anymore."_ She asked as she tried to show him how difficult it would be. _"And how am I supposed to keep that from her?"_

 _"Caroline… she wouldn't believe you if you told her; so wait until we know for sure. And once we do we'll find a way to break it for a vampire if she is."_ He reasoned and she nodded in return before putting her head in her hands.

 _"If it's not one thing it's another…"_ She voiced her thoughts and heard him sigh before raising her head again. _"Is she is sired and there isn't a way to break it then the only option would be the cure; but then she'd be human again and Klaus would be using her blood to make hybrids again."_ She continued as his head shot sideways to look at her again. _"And in that scenario… there may be only one way to stop him from using her again."_ She stated quietly and he shook his head.

 _"Don't even think about it Caroline… I mean it. We're going to figure out what to do for both of you."_ Stefan insisted adamantly and Caroline nodded absently so they wouldn't argue about it; but she knew if it came down to it she'd do what she had to do to save her friend. She picked up her pen and went back to working on the festival to take her mind off of things and Stefan excused himself to go to the boarding house to talk to Damon.

She kept planning until she was finished and sent Stefan a text to know she was going to city hall to turn everything in; since Carol had arranged for her to drop things off there instead of the Lockwood mansion to avoid awkward confrontations. Caroline took her time with human tasks after she dropped off the finished plans at City Hall; picking up items from different stores before stopping at the grocery store last to restock the cabinets and refrigerator. She felt eyes on her while she was browsing the shelves so she sped up her pace of going through the aisles so she could checkout faster. She looked around once she made it to her car before loading the groceries into her trunk; not seeing anyone watching her, even though she still felt it. She checked her phone before she got in the car to see that Stefan was back at her house so she texted him that she had a lot to carry in and that she was on her way.

The feeling of being watched didn't disappear as she drove home; nor did it go away once she and Stefan got everything inside. She asked Stefan if he felt like they were being watched but he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary so she chalked it up to being paranoid; with the day being the first time she had been alone since Stefan had moved in it seemed the likeliest reason. But even after her mom came home and they ate dinner it didn't go away so she didn't fall asleep too easily when she went to bed. She got up a few times to look outside her window before ultimately closing the blinds and curtains and forcing herself to push the feeling away.

 ** _2 days later…_**

She and Stefan had just gotten home from school and were looking forward to the weekend. After Stefan's talk to Damon he had tested their theory and Elena had held the blood from a blood bag down; letting them know she WAS sired. What made things worse was when Elena had told her she had slept with Damon already, and even if it was before they had figure out she was sired, it ate at Caroline; she didn't know how she could keep her being sired a secret any more than she could keep it from Stefan that Elena had slept with his brother. She felt caught between a rock and a hard spot; added with the feeling of being watched and Caroline was a mess inwardly as she tried to keep it together on the outside. Stefan noticed her behavior but she told him she had a lot on her mind so he wouldn't pry and get the facts out of her; she just didn't know how long she could keep it up. They knew Liz would be pulling a double and wouldn't be home for dinner so Caroline suggested they just order pizza, but they were disturbed by a knock at the door; Caroline staying in the kitchen while Stefan went to answer the door for her since she was already working on her homework.

 _"Good afternoon sweetheart."_ She heard and looked up from her work to see Klaus coming into the kitchen and taking a seat at the side of the table and Stefan sitting across from her. _"Might I inquire to what your plans are this evening?"_

 _"Homework."_ She deadpanned and gave a look to Stefan; daring him to disagree.

 _"Well… since you have the whole weekend to work on that I would like to invite you to dinner with me this evening."_ He stated and she looked to Stefan before looking back at him.

 _"We were just ordering pizza tonight… it's been a crazy week; and I don't feel like making it worse."_ She replied as she chose to go back to her homework and hope that he would go away.

 _"Come now sweetheart… I was extending the invitation to Stefan as well; we wouldn't want to leave him out."_ Klaus insisted as he waved a hand in Stefan's direction and she looked up at him before looking at Stefan. She could see Stefan wanting to object but holding himself back so Klaus wouldn't do anything to either of them.

 _"Well an invitation means we can object; but coming from you it's more like a summons."_ She replied sarcastically as she once again turned back to her homework.

 _"See it however you wish sweetheart… dinner is at 7 sharp and I expect you both to be there."_ Klaus stated before standing and walking to leave; stopping at the threshold of the kitchen and looking back. _"Ah… nearly forgot; the dinner is casual, but I would still wear something somewhat more formal."_ He added before smirking and leaving. Once they knew he was gone for sure they went back to the table and Caroline let her head hit the table a few times before working on her homework again; hybrid be damned she was going to get at least a couple assignments finished.

 _"Are you alright?"_ Stefan asked and she nodded as she kept working. _"I wonder what he wants this time."_ Stefan thought out loud and Caroline froze in her writing.

 _"Well dinner will likely be to discuss the cure… or it's another excuse to persuade me to be with him."_ Caroline voiced her opinion before biting her lip as she stared at her paper drifting in her thoughts.

 _"Well let's hope it's to talk about the cure… I'm sure he wouldn't have invited me if it was the latter."_ Stefan replied and she nodded in return, even if she doubted the last part. He seemed to understand she didn't really want to talk about it and let her work on her homework in silence until 6 o'clock; when he reminded her they had to be at Klaus' an hour later. She finished up the assignment she was working on before putting her schoolwork up so she could change. She didn't really want to wear a dress around Klaus but wearing pants would likely lead him to arguing over her attire so she changed and paired her dress with a jacket; slipping on her gym shorts under her dress for more mental comfort.

She slipped on her flats before leaving her room to wait on Stefan, but he was already ready in the living room and waiting on her. She looked at the clock to see they still had a little over 20 minutes before they had to be there so Caroline pulled her homework back out; realizing she only had the one assignment left to do and it wouldn't take her long to do at all. By the time she was done they had 5 minutes left so she wrote a note for her mom in case they didn't get back or something happened before grabbing her keys and locking up the house; both flashing until they were at the door of the Mikaelson mansion. Neither of them really wanted to knock since they had a few minutes but after a few seconds it didn't matter since the door opened to reveal their host waiting for them.

 _"Right on time… I figured I would have to track the two of you down."_ Klaus spoke as he opened the door wider and waved a hand for them to enter. Once inside Klaus instructed them to take their jackets off as he hung them in a little closet close to the door. From there he led them to the dining room to sit on either side of him since he was sitting at the head of the table again; with the chairs on the side pulled closer to his seat. _"Now… I know you two are probably wondering why I invited you tonight, but we'll have our main discussions after we eat."_

 _"Why DID you invite us here?"_ Caroline asked as she looked between him and Stefan.

 _"Well sweetheart… I will be discussing the cure with Stefan, whereas you I invited because I enjoy your company."_ He explained with a smirk and she scoffed slightly as she rolled her eyes. _"I also have something I wanted to show you love… and you can see it while Stefan and I have our discussion."_ He added and she inwardly flinched as Stefan readjusted himself in his seat. She was about to speak again but their plates were brought out and set it from of them while their wine glasses were filled; and if she wasn't mistaken she smelled blood in the wine. She wondered if Stefan would resist draining the glass and flicked her eyes to see he had noticed it as well before picking up her fork to start pushing the food around on her plate. She waited until the two men had begun eating before taking the first bite; not really knowing it was lamb until she tried it. She noticed Stefan had a little bit of trouble putting his glass down and looked to her own; managing to take one sip and put it down seemingly unaffected by the blood in it. _"I imagine Stefan that you envy the control she has over blood, do you not?"_ Klaus asked and she looked over at Stefan.

 _"I'm proud that she handles blood so well…"_ Stefan replied with a small smile in her direction and she smiled in return.

 _"I bet you are mate… but I asked if you were envious."_ Klaus stated and she looked at him before looking back to Stefan.

 _"He doesn't have to be envious… it isn't as difficult as it was for him."_ Caroline grit out when she realized Klaus was going to make Stefan answer; call her childish but she didn't like one of her best friends being goaded like that.

 _"Ah but sweetheart… you had little to no difficulty adjusting to your cravings; whereas the rippah here has been nearly the opposite in comparison."_ Klaus pointed out and she glared at him.

 _"Do I wish I had the control Caroline has?"_ Stefan asked and Klaus sat back with a smirk as Stefan began to answer him despite Caroline's attempts at getting him off the hook. _"Yes I do… but she worked for the control she has and didn't let becoming a hybrid change who she was; and she did it for the people she cared about."_ Stefan explained and Caroline gave him a smile.

 _"All that when she's a newly made hybrid Stefan… just imagine a century or two from now. What happens when all the humans in her life are gone?"_ Klaus mused out loud and Caroline looked down at her plate.

 _"Then she'll have those of us who aren't human."_ Stefan replied confidently and Caroline drifted in her thoughts. With them all hunting for the cure she didn't know who would stay a vampire and who would go back human.

 _"Ah yes… but that remains the question doesn't it mate? You wish to be human if it means you get to be with the doppelganger again, I would assume the quarterback would like to be human again since he's set upon his human tasks, and the rest of her friends already are human. The only one I'd see staying a vampire would be your brother and from what I hear she doesn't really care too much for him past the point of being your brother."_ Klaus rambled and Stefan looked over at her to see her. She could barely believe he just rattled off her thoughts about it all, but she was determined to not let it show how much it bothered her.

 _"If everyone she cared about was human then she'd want to be human herself…"_ Stefan started but Klaus chuckled and Caroline looked up to Stefan to remind him with her eyes about what they had already discussed.

 _"I would just turn her again Stefan… and I doubt she'd want to have to turn during the full moons and lose the control she has in her wolf form; she wouldn't be able to stop herself from killing anyone she cared about if they got too close."_ Klaus spoke and Stefan looked back at her; letting her know internally that Klaus was right in those regards and she probably wouldn't want to turn.

 _"I get that you're obsessed with her… but if you actually thought you cared about her, you'd let her make the choice for herself."_ Stefan countered and Klaus gave him a glare to signal it was the end of their conversation in regards to Caroline taking the cure.

 _"It's easy to take that choice away when her staying a hybrid means she stays safer than if she was just a normal werewolf again. Did you forget that her family has been hunted for generations; or that she would be hunted by other wolves, vampires, and humans alike should her heritage be found out?"_ Klaus asked as the anger began to become known in his voice as it rose higher. _"She would hate herself for being a target that could not defend herself or her loved ones; versus a hybrid that stands a better shot at protecting them from herself and others."_ Klaus concluded as he looked between them and she was barely containing an outburst as she looked between him and Stefan.

 _"Speaking of which… has your obsession led to stalking her?"_ Stefan asked seriously and Klaus looked between them confused and then suspicious. _"She thought someone was watching her the other day… and since then she's looked around from time to time; I've even felt it a couple of times. So… is it you that's been watching…"_

 _"If I was watching either of you I'd let you know it… but as it is I haven't been; nor have I had anyone watching. Now it seems as if we have another problem to look out for…"_ Klaus answered as he waved between the two of them.

 _"Or it's just me being paranoid after you cornered me…"_ Caroline cut in aggravated that both of them were talking like she wasn't even there.

 _"Sweetheart, you're a hybrid; if you feel someone watching you then your instinct is likely correct. I'll check into it for you…"_ Klaus countered as he leaned forward and tilted his head towards her.

 _"I'd rather you didn't… as you said, I'm a hybrid; I can take care of myself."_ She replied and took another sip of her blood wine. _"And like I said… I'm probably being paranoid and Stefan is starting to catch on to it. If you haven't noticed there's a lot going on…"_ She said as she tried to make herself believe it as well as the men at the table, but Klaus interrupted her.

 _"Oh I have noticed… just like I heard Damon and Jeremy talking the other day at the grill about Elena being sired to Damon; and I bet you're the one that figured it out."_ Klaus cut in as he switched the subject slightly to give her an example.

 _"As did Stefan…"_ Caroline started but Stefan cut her off this time.

 _"You were the one that noticed something was wrong with her; I just finished your sentences."_ Stefan pointed out and she growled frustrated that he wanted to debate this issue right now.

 _"Seriously? Don't downplay your brain on this… I didn't even know a vampire could be sired; I thought that was a hybrid thing. I just pointed out she was following everything Damon said like Tyler used to do with HIM."_ She finished as she pointed her finger towards Klaus in aggravation.

 _"Your little rant aside sweetheart… do you see what I'm trying to tell you about your instincts?"_ Klaus asked and she growled as she stabbed her fork into her meal and left it there before she sat back against her chair ready for dinner to be done.

 _"I'll figure it out on my own… just stay out of it."_ She stressed and he leaned back as he waved a hand towards Stefan.

 _"Very well… Stefan, keep an eye out and if you see something suspicious let me know."_ Klaus requested and Stefan looked between Klaus and Caroline before giving a reluctant nod. Seeing Stefan nod made Caroline huff in response at how neither of them thought she was capable of taking care of herself and it was making her angry. She wanted to hurry this dinner along so she decided to get Klaus' spotlight off of her and where it was supposed to be.

 _"So…"_ She started impatiently and looked between the two of them. _"What about the cure? I mean… you did invite Stefan at least to talk about it."_ She ventured with a sarcastic smile and he smirked in her direction.

 _"Now love… we aren't quite finished with dinner; and you've barely touched yours."_ He scolded playfully and she grit her teeth together.

 _"I'm not really hungry."_ She managed to reply as she tried to not snap at him; she didn't really want to piss him off today.

 _"Well love… if you would like you may leave the table and go to my studio to look around; I have some new pieces up you may like."_ Klaus offered and Caroline looked between him and Stefan before standing and tossing her napkin on the table with a huff; she would have stayed for Stefan but she wanted to be alone for a little while.

Leaving the dining room she walked towards the stairs and smirked to herself as the thought of snooping popped up; and since she had to pass bedrooms to get to the studio she could walk slowly and Klaus wouldn't notice that she didn't go straight there. She didn't know whose room was which and she didn't want to open shut doors, so she peeked inside the rooms with doors open. One room's decorations caught her eye when she peeked in and saw paintings along the walls; looking behind her to make sure she wasn't being followed she walked in. She didn't want to linger too long and her eyes darted around until she saw a book on the nightstand and she lifted the cover of it; seeing a sketch she picked it up to take with her to the studio.

When she walked into the studio she saw he had been right and that the room had several more paintings hung up around the room; with a blank canvas on the easel in the corner of the room. She sat the sketchbook down on the little tray table next to the chaise and went to inspect the paintings. The first one was easy to recognize what it was about since it was the falls; even if she thought it would have been from memory because it was slightly different in the painting than it normally was. It was a little strange seeing something that had remained constant for a thousand years other than vampires, but she didn't think too long on it as she moved to the next painting.

Several paintings later and her paranoia was beginning to rise; spiking when she stood in front of the last new addition. Anyone looking at it would definitely know it was an abstract painting, but the yellows, blues, and gold surrounding a dark center gave her an unsettling feeling she couldn't quite point out. She studied it for a few more minutes until she leaned over slightly to inspect the color again and her hair fell towards the painting; matching the yellows and gold reminding her of wolf eyes on the piece of art. She covered her mouth to keep the sound from her gasp covered before looking over the other pieces again; seeing more resemblances than she was comfortable with she sat down on the chaise to collect herself.

Spotting the sketchbook she had set down she was almost afraid to look in it, but she reached over and pulled in into her lap to browse through it. The beginning of the book didn't bother her like the paintings on the wall were still doing, but as she got past the landscapes and family pictures she froze seeing herself looking up at her from the page; realizing it was from the night she had been turned. She turned the pages seeing herself over and over from every time they had been around each other since she had become a hybrid, as well as others he would have had to imagine since in some she was wearing things she hadn't seen before; much less worn before. She finally got her brain working again when she noticed that he either hadn't drawn her any time she hadn't seen him, or he hadn't lied about following her around; leaning towards the first option because the sketchbook had been in his room and not the studio. Looking around she used her hearing to detect Klaus and Stefan still in the dining room so she crept back to his room to put the sketchbook where she had found it before going back to the studio.

Walking back into the studio she went straight over to the paintings she knew had something to do with her and pulled her phone out to snap a picture of them; carefully checking to make sure there wasn't a particular hybrid watching her before taking each picture. When she was done she locked her phone up and tucked it back down in her bra before walking over to the desk that housed sketches from the last time she had been in there. She pulled the drawers open to see if he had anymore sketches down in them but she mostly found blank sketchbooks and art supplies so she shut the drawers back and turned to leave the room; looking back at the last painting again before turning off the light and shutting the door behind her. Walking back down the stairs she heard them in another room and followed their voices until she found them in a little den area.

 _"Ah sweetheart… join us for a drink."_ Klaus offered as he stood from his seat and poured her a drink and she glanced towards Stefan before walking forward and taking it from him. _"What did you think of the new works I've finished?"_ He asked before she could take a sip of her drink.

 _"They're…"_ She started but couldn't think of just one word to describe her thoughts so she huffed and squared her shoulders. _"Abstracts are usually beautifully unique; yet it wasn't hard to figure out what was on your mind when you painted them."_ She explained as she narrowed her eyes slightly and took a couple steps back before turning and taking a seat in a chair to drink her drink.

 _"I don't quite think I used the correct blue… but the shade I was aiming for was quite difficult to mix; I'll have to work harder next time."_ Klaus rattled off and Caroline nearly choked on her drink when she heard the end of his little statement; he would be painting more of her. She looked at him as she tried to cover the shock in his statement before looking over at Stefan to see him looking between them confused. When Klaus went to refill his drink she mouthed 'later' to Stefan and he nodded slightly in return. _"I do wonder though… which one of my newer pieces do you think is the best?"_ He continued and she felt like it was a trick question. The safest option would obviously be the falls unless she had missed something about it; and the chances were high that she had since the rest of his new pieces had something to do with her.

 _"Unless I missed something… I would think the painting of the falls."_ She answered and he turned back to face them with his smirk in place and she knew she had missed something and wanted to go back and look again, but she wasn't about to ask to so she changed the subject slightly. _"In the painting… what time frame were you painting the falls in? It didn't look like it does now… there were more trees and if my estimates of the proportions are correct, then the falls are slightly higher in the painting then it is now; which makes sense since the water would have eroded the rocks over the past millennium."_ She said as she worded her thoughts and hoped it would distract him enough to not bring up the subject in the other paintings.

 _"Well sweetheart… you would be correct to assume it was a different era than it is now in the painting; it is what the falls looked like when I was a human."_ Klaus answered as he walked closer until he was standing next to the chair; pausing to lean over enough she would look at him before continuing. _"And you did miss something… if you wish to go look at it again to find what you've missed then be my guest; yet you can't change your mind on which you think is best if you do."_ He finished and she fought against herself as part of her wanting to see what she HAD missed, but the other parts of her told her not to indulge him. Then she remembered she had taken pictures of all the newer paintings and inwardly smirked to herself.

 _"I think I'll pass… it's about time to leave anyway; I don't want my mother coming home to an empty house after all."_ She replied and he nodded slightly before moving to sit on the opposite end of the couch from Stefan as he sipped at his drink casually, but she could tell he was disappointed in her answer. She looked over at the small clock on the mantle before looking over to Stefan. _"It's getting late. Stefan, would you mind getting our jackets?"_ She asked Stefan and he nodded before walking away at a human pace and she looked at Klaus to see him smirking at her.

 _"It's always a pleasure to have you here love…"_ He started but she cut him off.

 _"Why did you paint the abstracts like that?"_ She asked nervously as she felt her uneasiness coming back and she stood from the chair. He opened his mouth as if to speak but said nothing until he had stood and walked over next to her so only they would hear what he said to her.

 _"Because that is how I see you sweetheart… as I've already told you once; yet you still do not believe me."_ He replied before standing straight and looking at her as his hand came up to tilt her chin so she would look up at him. _"It appears I was right when I said I did not get the correct shade of blue. Perhaps I can interest you in coming here sometime so I can get it right?"_ He asked as he raised his hand higher to push her hair back further.

 _"I think you already have the correct blue…"_ She responded but paused when Stefan came back into the room with his jacket on and hers in his hand. _"And I have a lot of things to do…"_ She continued until Klaus got her jacket from Stefan and held it up for her to put on.

 _"Then when you have some free time I really must insist that you come over and watch how the paintings are made."_ He countered as she put her arms in her jacket as quickly as she could so she could get away from him, but she didn't expect him to pull her hair loose from her jacket and she moved to step away; noticing he caught her hand to bring up to his mouth and she forced herself to stand still until he released her hand back to her. _"It was a pleasure having you as always love…"_ He said to her and turned towards Stefan. _"We'll talk again soon Stefan."_ He offered as he gestured for them to walk towards the door with one hand and placed the other on the small of her back as he led them towards the exit. Once outside with the door shut behind them Caroline turned towards Stefan before flashing towards her house; unlocking the door and turning on the lights as she waited on Stefan to catch up.

 _"Okay… so why do you look like you did the last time we saw him?"_ Stefan asked as he shut the door and she motioned for them to sit before going and getting the alcohol and a couple glasses. _"It seems as if this is another conversation where drinks are needed."_ Stefan continued and she nodded as she poured the drinks and took out her phone; pulling up the pictures of the paintings and showing him the abstract she and Klaus had been discussing.

 _"What does this look like to you?"_ She asked and Stefan looked at it confused for a couple minutes and she could see he didn't understand what the painting was about; or should she say who. She took a couple strands of her hair and put it on the phone screen next to the yellows before letting her eyes change to gold as she held it up next to her face, and then keeping the phone in place before shifting her eyes back to blue. _"Can you see why I'm freaking out just a little?"_ She asked and he nodded as he took the phone from her to look at it closely again.

 _"It's you… but there's something else here…"_ Stefan mused out loud and she watched him zoom the picture in towards the middle.

 _"The dark center is him."_ Caroline stated and Stefan looked up from the phone to see her troubled look. _"All the newer paintings he has in there are like that… except for maybe the one about the falls, but he said I missed something."_ She rambled and took the phone to scroll through the pictures to see Stefan raise his eyebrows further in shock like she had done when she had seen them. When she got to the picture of the falls she zoomed it in so she could search for what she could have possibly missed but her phone blurred the image in zoom so she went through and deleted the pictures so she could hope to possibly erase them from her mind.

 _"Why does he want you to come back to watch him?"_ Stefan asked and she laughed dryly before taking another drink and holding up a finger so she could order pizza like they had planned. When she was done she looked over at her friend.

 _"He said he didn't get the blue right and he wanted me to come back so he could be sure he got it right the next time; which tells me that these paintings won't be the only ones."_ She answered and he huffed before falling back against the couch and she dropped her head to her hands.

 _"It has to be something else because I thought the blue was pretty close; if not identical."_ Stefan theorized out loud and she raised her head to fall against the couch to mimic Stefan's position.

 _"That's what I said… but you heard him say he INSISTS I come to watch him paint."_ She replied before standing to go change into her pajamas to wait on the pizza guy. When she came back in she refilled her drink as she looked over to see Stefan deep in thought. _"Stefan it's fine… I'll figure something out."_

 _"That's what dinner tonight was about."_ Stefan stated and she didn't quite understand what he meant exactly and was about to ask but he held his hand up. _"He didn't talk about anything new about the cure… he just mentioned the markings on the sword needed translating, and that they wouldn't make sense without Jeremy's hunter mark completed; he wants Jeremy to start working on that."_

 _"And how is he supposed to do that? It's not like there's a large supply of vampires around here…"_ She asked as she flung her arms out frustrated and Stefan cut her off.

 _"No there isn't… but that's why he wants my help. He wants me and Damon to go look for vampires for Jeremy to kill, and maybe turn a few humans into vampires in the process."_ Stefan explained and Caroline shook her head. _"We need to find the cure…"_

 _"Think about this Stefan… Jeremy can barely keep from killing Elena as it is, and without Bonnie talking him down we'd all be on his kill list right now. How is he supposed to keep from killing all of us if we let him make the kills?"_ Caroline tried to reason with him to make him see where everything was leading to.

 _"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'll still be staying here at night, but during the daytime I'm going to go work on bringing in vampires for him…"_ Stefan supplied as he rubbed his hands together with is uneasiness of the situation.

 _"You'll get yourself killed Stefan…"_ Caroline stressed but he cut her off again.

 _"I'll be careful… and if I turn anybody into a vampire I'll make sure they aren't a good person…"_ He explained as he waved his hand around as if it would explain his thoughts on the matter.

 _"You can't be serious right now… you're talking about killing a bunch of people; and we don't even know how many kills it would take to complete the mark."_ She tried to reason with him again but she could see he wasn't going to change his mind. _"I know you love her and would do anything that needed to be done to make sure she was alive and happy, but at what costs to yourself? How many people are you willing to kill for this; for her?"_

 _"I can't give up on her Care… I know you're trying to look out for me on this, but if I didn't go through with this plan then I might as well give up on her."_ Stefan explained tiredly and she huffed in frustration as she was about to let it slip that he should give up on Elena because she was already sleeping with Damon, but the doorbell rang; grateful for the distraction she stood to go get the pizza and pay the guy before taking it to the table. She came back in with two plates full of pizza and gave Stefan one as she retook her spot on the couch and flipped on the TV.

 _"Now here's the good food."_ Caroline claimed as she lifted a slice of pizza to toast and Stefan laughed before holding up a piece to mimic her.

 _"Teenagers… all you guys want is pizza."_ Stefan joked and she held up a finger.

 _"Don't go there Salvatore… your family was Italian descent is my memory serves me correctly; and pizza comes from Italy so shush."_ She scolded in return and he tilted his head.

 _"Touché Forbes… but if we really wanted to go into family ancestry the name Forbes comes from a place where they like lamb…"_ Stefan countered and she glared at him.

 _"Forbes is the name my family used to hide… it isn't their real name; I don't know what is either."_ She replied before taking a huge bite of pizza with a grin as she browsed the movies playing on cable.

 _"Maybe you should have gone for the debate team instead of cheerleading… you love to argue."_ Stefan supplied and she rolled her eyes in return since she was still chewing. _"Don't get me wrong… I can see the advantages cheerleading gives you girls, but not everyone on your team is smart and they should pay more attention to their classes than their routines."_

 _"I hate to break it to you Stef, but in a small town like this one… sports trump academics."_ She pointed out and he tilted his head. _"Or did you forget that when you went out for football?"_ She asked sarcastically and he laughed in return.

 _"Ah the joys of high school."_ He replied and she nodded as she read over the description of a movie and hit select to watch it since there wasn't anything good on. _"What about you? Do you think you'll go back to high school again?"_

 _"Uh no… once is enough; we aren't in Twilight."_ She replied and he nodded in understanding as she giggled to her own inside joke. She had loved the Twilight books until she learned she was a werewolf and that vampires and witches existed; nowadays she couldn't help but laugh at her younger imaginings. Remembering they got way off topic she decided to pick it back up again. _"Do me a favor… since I can't talk you out of this crazy idea of making Jeremy's mark grow, let me know when you won't be here for a night and I'm going to schedule a girls' night."_

 _"Alright… but I doubt I have to pull an overnighter."_ He replied half-suspicious of her sudden request, but she rolled her eyes in return before answering him.

 _"Just let me know if you do. You're great company, but I need girl time."_ She stated seriously with a look and he held a thumb up in support. _"Bonnie's been so busy with her magic and now Jeremy, and Elena is always with Damon or acting like a female version of him, and I miss them; I've been trying to have a girls' night for weeks. I think it would do them good to have one night where there's no supernatural or boy drama and I could use the distraction."_ She explained in a rant as she nursed her drink and felt his hand on her shoulder.

 _"Do me a favor in return… don't go to Klaus' house at his insistence without letting me know so we can come looking for you if you don't make it back."_ Stefan requested and she turned to look at him as he removed his hand from her shoulder and she nodded before answering.

 _"You don't have to ask me twice for that… and I'll keep my phone on me in case I need it."_ She replied so they could come to an agreement. Once they were in understanding they turned to watch TV and finish eating as they waiting for Liz to come home from her shift.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

She tossed and turned for a couple hours that night after Stefan and Liz were asleep until she couldn't take it anymore. She got out of bed and quickly changed her clothes as she came up with a plan of her own. She scribbled out a note an laid it on her bed in case something went wrong before grabbing her phone and pushing it into her jeans pocket, along with her keys in case everything went alright. She crept out of the house without making a noise and flashed off in the direction of the Mikaelson mansion. When she arrived at the gates she couldn't see any lights on, but she knew the studio didn't have a window and if he wasn't asleep he'd be in there. She pulled out her phone and scrolled down to the number she promised herself she'd never use and sent a text to see if he was awake. Seconds later she felt it vibrate against her palm and looked down to see his reply before pocketing her phone again and flashing to knock on his door.

 _"Well sweetheart… I have to say I am surprised to see you again so soon."_ Klaus stated as he opened the door and she nearly ran when she saw him shirtless with a rag thrown over his shoulder, but she kept herself still.

 _"I couldn't sleep… and part of the reason for that is I want to know what I overlooked in the painting; you insisted I come back anyway."_ She replied in a rush and he smirked before opening the door wider for her to come in. She hadn't bothered with wearing a jacket since the cold didn't affect her like it would a human and she didn't want Klaus to have to put one back on her when she left.

 _"Would you like a drink?"_ He asked and she shook her head in return. _"Well since you're here love, would you mind telling me why you took a little detour on your way to the studio earlier?"_ He asked and she could see his suspicion and a tiny bit of anger in his question so she went straight to the point.

 _"The door was open… I saw a painting and stepped in to look at it, but then I realized whose room I walked into."_ She replied and saw him halt and turn from his place on the stairs. _"And I looked through your sketchbook; those being the only two things I did that I probably shouldn't have done."_ She concluded with a nod before looking back at him nervously to see his previous expressions gone and his smirk had returned.

 _"Sweetheart if you wanted to see my bedroom you could have asked and I would have gladly given you a tour."_ He returned as he stepped towards her on the lower steps and she held on to the banister for life.

 _"I don't want a tour… I just want to figure out what I missed in the painting and then I'm going home."_ She stated and he raised his hand to her back to guide her up the stairs the rest of the way.

 _"You can stay a little longer than that so I can work with the paint mixtures; surely it wouldn't take too long with you here."_ He replied and she huffed before turning her head to look at him as they walked.

 _"Why am I the subject in your paintings lately?"_ She asked as they made it into the studio and she had moved towards the painting of the falls. She heard him walking right behind her but she pushed his presence out of her mind as her eyes scanned over every brush stroke on the painting. He still hadn't answered by her third sweep of the painting and she was about to just have him point it out when she looked at the falls again; turning her head to the side she could see how easily she had overlooked how the falls made up two wolves. She straightened her head up with her hands over her mouth in shock and went to take a step back when she realized what the two wolves were doing, but she was blocked and arms held her in place. She tried to dislodge his arms but his hold was too strong for her to break so she stopped moving and hoped he would let her go. _"What do you want?"_ She asked as she fought against her rising panic.

 _"Simply to find the correct shade of blue love."_ He replied as his hold loosened and he turned her around to face him; keeping his hands on her waist either to keep her from running or just to keep his hands on her. She didn't know the exact reason but she would guess both as he gave a slight push to steer her towards the paints he had set out until he had her where he wanted her. She saw him flash away and was about to take the opportunity to run but he came back with a stool and motioned for her to sit on it after placing it next to the easel. As she was sitting she watched him take his current painting off the easel and replace it with a blank canvas before walking back to her to pull her and the stool closer.

Caroline knew her uneasiness could be seen but she didn't care as she felt him lean his hips ever so lightly against her knees and tilt her head with his hand. She didn't want to look at him but determined to speed along the process of him mixing colors she managed to look him in the eye. She stilled as he kept the gaze between them continuing for what felt like forever until he finally turned to the paints and began stirring in the different blues and whites, along with other mixtures she didn't care to think about. She was proud she was able to keep her breathing under control with her nervousness as high as it was; she wouldn't let him see her cower in any way, shape, or form.

Once he seemed pleased with the blue he had mixed she felt his finger run over her lip while his other hand began mixing shades of red, white, and oranges; she knew it for her lips. He only looked back a couple times, but she felt him tracing every line and indention of her lips until he parted them. She worried for the stool as she felt her fingers bend the wood in their shape, but she couldn't move. Klaus hadn't moved from his place in front of her and the only way out she could see would be to spread her knees apart to swing around; but he could move between them if she wasn't quick enough. She didn't notice through her plans of getting away that he had set his brushes and colors down and was facing her again expectantly.

 _"What?"_ She asked when he had cleared his throat to get her attention.

 _"I believe I have what I need if you still wish to leave."_ He answered and she daringly used her hands to push him back enough to stand and begin to walk around him; stopping only when she felt her hand in his as he turned her back to face him. _"Although… if there is nothing else for you to do this night, I do wonder if I could persuade you to stay a while."_ He continued and she took a minute to think it over rationally.

 _"What would you do if I didn't stay?"_ She asked quietly and he dropped her hand; seemingly disappointed.

 _"Then you are free to leave… I won't do anything to keep you here."_ He answered, but she was still a little wary. The whole house was dead silent except for their breathing and undead hearts, she almost felt sorry for him; he was alone and she knew how much she hated when she felt that way. However, she knew she couldn't stay and she couldn't be the one to appease his loneliness; it wouldn't be right after everything he had done.

 _"I can't stay Klaus…"_ She started to explain, but he cut her off.

 _"I very well know what you are about to say Caroline… go… run along home."_ He interrupted with a wave of his hand. She stood still for a moment and opened her mouth to speak. _"I said LEAVE Caroline… GO!"_ He raised his voice to almost screaming and she didn't waste time; whooshing out of his mansion and straight home. She paused outside of the house so she didn't disturb anyone in attempt calm her breathing back down; her nerves still high strung from her latest visit with Klaus and how he had reacted. She didn't have long until she felt like someone was watching, but she couldn't sense anyone around; chalking it up to her nerves she crept back inside to her room and went to bed.

 ** _One week later…_**

Caroline pulled the ham out of the oven she had been baking for the past few hours and setting it on the wooden island to cool so she could check on the various foods cooking on the stove and place one of her cake mixes into the oven. She was excited that she was going to spend time with her mom, Stefan, and Matt for a movie night/trial run Christmas dinner so she wanted everything to be perfect. She had already planned a girl's night the next day with Bonnie and Elena and Elena had said she would pick the clubbing spot, so all she had to do is enjoy her evening. She only had a couple more hours before everyone would show up and they would indulge in a movie marathon; half tempted to watch Alien movies since all the werewolf and vampire movies weren't as exciting to watch as they used to be.

She was excited with the prospect of having the next couple of days planned to be with her friends and regarding any type of supernatural drama; although it was bound to come up in conversation, she could always put her foot down and get the subject dropped if she needed to. She looked over at the little eat-in kitchen table and went over her mental checklist of things finished and left to make, before setting herself back into her tasks. When the foods were done she put them in serving bowls and platters to join the table and checked her cake; just in time since it finished with everything else. She set it on top of the stove to start cooling and went through the house to check on the decorations; they were sure to make everyone smile.

Realizing that there was nothing left to do inside until the cake cooled, she walked outside to begin decorating the outside of the house. Normally she would wait on her mom, but she wanted it all to be a surprise this year for her. She had pulled all of the boxes out of storage earlier and placed them on the porch so now all she had to do was get the ladder, but she started on all the ground-level decorations first. She wasn't surprised that it didn't take as much time or effort this year; being a hybrid did make her simple tasks easier. Her neighbors probably thought she had went crazy or was on drugs with how fast she got everything up without a hitch; even finding a bad bulb from where the electric hum ended in the line of lights. Of course, with the sun starting to set she knew she needed to get the cake decorated so when she was sure no one was watching, she sped through the last of roof lights and climbed down; turning everything on and putting the ladder back up before going back into the kitchen.

The cake itself was her pride and joy since she had decided to go with one of the founder's recipes for German Chocolate Cake; not used for a while if she remembered correctly, but it was always delicious when it had been. When she flipped the cake onto the serving platter she noted how soft and moist it was, and the smell was just how she remember during all of the events she had been to; taking her time to put the topping, which she refused to call icing, all over the top and sides generously. Pleased with her work she put a lid over it and put it with the rest of the food. Caroline looked at the time and her brows furrowed. It was almost time for everyone to show up so she dashed into her room and did a quick once-over to make sure she hadn't got anything on her outfit; with not a speck out of sorts, she went to pick up her phone.

Caroline wished she hadn't picked her phone up; she saw several texts, but none saying what she wanted to hear. Her mother would be working all night, Matt had to work for a while but then he was called to help with Elena, and there was nothing from Stefan at all. It seemed like her planned evening was already just pushed off to the sidelines; again. She had half a mind to drag them all to her house and force them to take a break, but maybe it wouldn't be wasted after all; maybe Stefan hadn't cancelled and was running late. She left a note on the refrigerator and packed up food into packages; her mother and Matt may still want to eat some of the food. She waited until 30 minutes past the time for everyone to show up before she left; no one was going to show up.

Her first stop was at the police station to look for her mother, but it turned out she was out on a call so Caroline left her food in her office; as well as extras she had managed to pack while waiting to see if Stefan would show being left for the other officers on call that evening. When she drove past Matt's house she didn't see his truck so she went ahead to the grill. Not seeing his truck there either she walked in with his portion of food. Hearing the manager tell her that Matt had just left she pulled out her phone to see if she could catch him, but it went straight to voicemail; she guessed she would just have to drop it back off at his house. Ready to go home to her failure of a get-together she started walking back out; not slowing down in the slightest when Haley went past her towards the restrooms. She was almost out the door when she felt her arm pulled over to the side of the door and herself facing Tyler.

 _"Still chasing Matt, are you?"_ Tyler sneeringly asked and she rolled her eyes.

 _"Not that it's any business of yours anymore, but no; I was dropping him off food from a dinner I made."_ She replied and turned to walk away again; nearly hissing when he grabbed her again. _"Don't touch me Tyler."_ She warned but he laughed.

 _"Man… you got even tenser since you left me. You know I could help you with that… I know you must miss us."_ He spoke and all she could do was curl her mouth up in disgust. _"It's not like anyone else has an interest Caroline… they all chase after Elena; and you know it. I do have an interest though… Haley wasn't supposed to happen, but she did. We can get past that…"_ He continued on and she started laughing at him; drawing a few of the customer's eyes, but she didn't care. She didn't give him any warning before threw her fist at his face and he pulled his hands up over his nose.

 _"You're disgusting Tyler… we're done; we've BEEN done. There's nothing left to get past because I no longer care anything for you; you two-timing asswipe. Just stay AWAY from me!"_ She insulted him as a small crowd gathered around them, before turning and walking out before he could reach for her again. She would have loved to beat him more but they were in public and she had to keep her hybrid-self hidden; he would have a fun enough time explaining to Haley why he had a bloody nose when she went back to him.

Caroline drove back to Matt's house and left his food in his mailbox; sending him a quick text to let him know to look for it before she drove herself back home. She briefly wondered if Bonnie and Elena were going to try and cancel the next day on their girl's night, but she refused to think of it further. She walked back into her house and put up the movies she had planned to watch with the others, and pulled out her favorite Christmas movies to start playing. With nothing else to do while she was alone she pulled out all the liquor bottles to keep her busy with the movies and hopefully to keep her distracted from the loneliness she felt; her insecurity coming back out with Tyler's mention of Elena having everyone chasing after her, which is where she guessed everyone was.

One bottle turned into another and then another; before she knew it, she didn't know or feel much of anything. She had long ago muted the television and had started playing music as she lay on the couch and stared at the ceiling and walls with all the decorations she had meticulously put up. She was NOT moping or at least, she didn't think she was. All she could think to do was keep drinking; she liked not thinking straight and having her feelings numb for a while. It saved her from some of the nagging thoughts Tyler had tried to put in her head; although she did feel sickened that he thought he could still get in her pants after cheating on her. She kept drinking until she could barely move her body from its position on the couch and kept herself from crying; nobody liked a crying drunk. She never noticed her phone ringing next to her since she had somehow managed to turn it on silent after she started drinking.

 ** _Klaus POV…_**

He didn't want to be with the little Mystic Falls group at Elena's family lake house, but he did need to check up on the progress of the hunter. He saw them all broke into little groups and suppressed the urge to roll his eyes; the only one of real worth wasn't even there to lighten his mood. The Bennett witch was consoling the hunter and keeping him from killing his friends and family. Matt was off to the side chopping some wood and taking it to the porch. Elena was draped over the elder Salvatore when the rippah wasn't looking; she was definitely sired, but it didn't look like Damon cared much about that. Stefan was digging shallow graves and placing the dead vampires in them from Jeremy's last batch, but he looked defeated; he guessed it was because of the little displays he saw of Elena and his brother. What stood out for him was the familiar vehicle pulling in with the older blonde stepping out; it seemed like everyone was there but the one he actually wanted to see.

Klaus could see Stefan stopped digging and walked down to where Liz was getting out of her car. He decided to walk over and stir the situation a little; they needed to keep on their toes. He took his time getting over to them as he saw the quarterback jog over only to look down in what Klaus would call shame; Liz must've guilt-tripped him for something. Getting closer he let his hearing pick up on their conversation. Anger crept up in him when he heard Liz speaking to both Stefan and Matt about canceling some type of "movie night" with Caroline; especially with Stefan having his hands on his head a saying he had forgotten about it. They were all fools; they should feel grateful Caroline even allowed them in her life and here they were blowing her off for the doppelganger. He didn't speak as to not draw attention to himself yet as he listened to their conversation.

 _"Caroline has been up since early this morning trying to prep for a night with her FRIENDS and now you're both telling me that she's alone?"_ Liz asked and Klaus could see her turning red. _"I know I'm not there but I've been at work all day and I've had 3 deputies call in so I'll be short-staffed all night; I have to stay on call. Apparently Caroline thought enough to drop off food at the station, but my last stop in I was told that she got in a fight at the grille. Have neither of you heard from her?"_

 _"I sent her a text to let her know I couldn't make it… I had to work and then I came here. I'll check my phone."_ Matt answered and pulled his phone out; Stefan following suit as he shook his head to show he had no messages. _"She sent a text a couple hours ago saying she left a food package in my mailbox."_

 _"She was practicing different recipes for Christmas dinner earlier… she was going to use them to feed everyone tonight."_ Liz spoke and pulled her phone out to call Caroline. Klaus could hear there was no answer and it just kept leading her to Caroline's voicemail. The same could be said for Matt and Stefan when they would attempt dialing her number. Klaus didn't want to worry, but with her feeling like someone was watching her, he went ahead and let his presence be known to the trio in front of him.

 _"In not one of your minds did it actually occur that you might need to go check on her?"_ Klaus asked sarcastically and withheld a laugh at the glare on Liz's face. Matt and Stefan exchanged glances before Matt volunteered to go check on her and let everyone know. Klaus was ready to leave behind him but he remained in place when Liz started speaking to him.

 _"You know… I could go into my issues with you always hovering around my daughter and the things you've done… but right now all I'm going to say is YOU have nothing to say. You have almost everyone she spends time with here following your instructions to go after a cure. You, yourself are here… so you don't get to stand there and act like we don't care about her."_ Liz fumed and Klaus shook his head at her antics; Caroline definitely took after her mother.

 _"I'm here to merely check on the progress of the hunter… I would rather be doing a million other things. And I can say without a doubt that if I had plans made with your daughter I wouldn't have cancelled or forgot about them; I'd be there."_ Klaus replied just in time for Liz's phone to ring. He didn't look away as she answered it and he heard Matt's voice on the line telling Liz that Caroline was at home and safe; even if she was drunk. You could hear the uneasiness in Matt's voice so Liz asked Stefan if he could go check on Caroline to see if Matt needed help. _"I'll go with the rippah Liz... if she's drunk she might get a little bit nippy and I am the cure in case she does."_ He offered and she could see she didn't like the idea but Stefan nodded in agreement.

 _"Do not harass my daughter Klaus… you go only to make sure she doesn't hurt anybody or herself."_ Liz warned and he nodded his head in return before he flashed away to the Forbes' residence. He knocked quickly as Stefan caught up to him and the door opened to reveal Matt with an unamused look as he wore a Santa hat on his head.

 _"Guys… good luck. I'll let Liz know she's just really drunk… again."_ Matt spoke and Klaus spotted Caroline stumble into the entryway.

 _"No fair Matt… you tell my mom… she'll hide all alcohol everywhere…"_ Caroline slurred and Klaus had to suppress a chuckle. She stumbled a little but Matt caught her and tried to hand her over to Stefan, but she swatted them both away and used the wall to walk back towards the living room. Klaus could see Stefan sigh a little before stepping though the door to follow as Matt stepped out; handing him the Santa hat on his way. He stepped into the house and set the Santa hat on the first available table he could see; noting all the decorations that hadn't been in place the last he had been in the house. It looked as if Caroline had been keeping herself occupied the past couple of days and the smell of food in the kitchen confirmed his suspicions.

 _"Caroline… you really should change and get in bed. I know you're upset that nobody came today but that's no excuse to drink yourself into a stupor."_ Klaus heard Stefan speak to Caroline and saw her scowl in return.

 _"I'm not Mr. Smart Pants… I just… I don't know… Tyler was saying how nobody cared… and I punched him… but sometimes… he might be right."_ Caroline drunkenly tried to reply to Stefan and Klaus felt a twinge of hurt run through for her; they really were the same. She thought she was alone because nobody cared about her and they all cared about Elena, and she was half-way accurate when describing her friends. He knew he was alone because his family would always betray him or leave; his hybrids not being all he expected them to be either.

 _"Care… you know he's not right. He's just mad that he got caught and lost you; and he's playing on your feelings to bring you down."_

 _"He tried… to prop-prop-proposition… that's the word… proposition me. Haley was in… the restroom and he… thought… I was desperate enough… to sleep with him."_ Caroline cut in and started laughing and crying at the same time. Klaus knew he wouldn't be good at comforting her, but he was angry on her behalf; Tyler was stupid to think he still had even a smidgen of a chance with Caroline. _"I think… that he's lost… his mind. But you need… to eat smarty pants… go…"_ Caroline continued as she pushed at Stefan in the direction of the kitchen and ended up bumping into him in the process. Klaus reached his arms out to catch her as he gave a nod to Stefan for him to do as she had said.

 _"Come on sweetheart… let's get you settled down."_ Klaus spoke as he moved her hair out of her face when he was sure Stefan wouldn't see. It seemed to distract her as she reached for his hand a couple times before managing to take hold and she pulled it up closer to her face. He watched her in fascination and bated breath as she traced over the lines on his palm with her fingers before stumbling in her place; him catching her again and leading her over to the couch. She didn't seem comfortable as she started wiggling and shedding her jacket and shoes, so he walked her to her bedroom; darting out quickly when she started pulling her shirt over her head with no care that he was in the room.

Klaus was tempted to stay and help her, but he would not have her saying her was taking advantage of her drunken state when she sobered up. It wasn't moments later when he heard a thud and a groan and he knocked on her door; barely hearing her reply to come in he opened the door to see her sprawled on the floor holding her head. He reached down and scooped her up to carry her back into the living room to keep a better eye on her. Passing Stefan in the kitchen on the way he gave him a look that dared him to say anything to him; he knew what it looked like but he didn't care. When he placed her on the couch he noticed she had 2 shirts on and the top shirt was on backwards so he did his best to help her switch it around without a fight. Once he thought she was going to lay down and fall asleep he walked into the kitchen to speak with Stefan.

 _"You can go I can watch over her."_ Stefan offered but Klaus shook his head.

 _"She's calm right now mate… but we all know how quick an intoxicated mind can switch temperaments."_ Klaus warned right before they heard the music being turned up slightly and the sounds of uneven footsteps. _"As I was saying… I will stay a while until I'm sure she's either sleeping or sober."_ Klaus finished and walked back into the living room to see Caroline swaying in front of the Christmas tree with a nearly finished bottle in her hand; clearly she thought she wasn't finished drinking. He debated his options; if he took the bottle away under the pretenses of joining her for a drink she wasn't nearly as likely to act irrational than if she knew he was trying to stop her. _"Care to share love?"_ He asked and she wobbly turned to face in his direction and held the bottle up.

 _"Sure… I got more… somewhere."_ She answered and he took the bottle from her hand and finished it off; he would have to spend hours drinking to get even half as drunk as she was currently. She seemed lost in thought and decided it was best not to disturb her mind so he sat in the recliner without taking his eyes off of her. She moved back to the couch and lifted the cushion up, pulling out another bottle Klaus hadn't seen during his initial sweep of the eyes; now he would have to get this one away.

 _"May I have some of that one too sweetheart?"_ He asked and her brow furrowed as she pulled the bottle to her chest and pouted. She didn't seem to want to share anymore with him. _"Come now love… I'm not going to take it from you… I just want to share a drink with you."_ He coaxed as she ran a hand over her face and tripped onto the couch. She gave him a nod and he walked over to sit next to her and Stefan came in with glasses; apparently he caught on to Klaus' way of thinking. Stefan sat on the other side of Caroline and took the bottle from her to pour them all a glassful.

 _"You put up more pictures?"_ Stefan asked and she looked at him funny for a minute until he pointed towards the fireplace. She squinted her eyes and finally nodded before she stood up and walked over to the pictures he mentioned.

 _"These are… family… that aren't… alive… so they… are still mem-memorized."_ She spoke but thought again and waved her hands in frustration. _"Mem-… mem-…"_ She struggled.

 _"Memorable."_ Stefan finished for her and she nodded. She turned back and picked up the first picture of an older couple that looked a little worn.

 _"Dad's parents… died when our car wrecked."_ Caroline spoke and Stefan glanced at him before looking back at her.

 _"You were in the car?"_ Stefan asked as Klaus watched her movements.

 _"Yep."_ She replied as she exaggerated the p with a pop. _"Hit my head… I can't remember it… or anything before it really."_ She answered further with a sigh and put the picture back crookedly. She picked up the next photograph and turned it around. _"Mom's mom… cancer before I was born."_ She set the picture down and went to the next one. _"Mom's dad… don't really know much… he died when mom was in… middle school… I think."_ She spoke as if it was weird for her and then went to the newest addition. _"Dad… Alaric's alter-ego got to him… but it's not like… I could really get him justice."_ Caroline fumed and pushed the picture back down on the mantle before stepping back. _"I hate this fireplace…"_ Caroline started to rant but Klaus decided to interrupt her this time.

 _"Come sit sweetheart… pick a movie or something."_ Klaus offered but she shook her head and brought her hands up to cover her ears.

 _"It's so loud…"_ She whined and stumbled over to the window. _"I can hear everyone… some going to bed… but there's someone fighting with her husband… and she won't shut up."_ She spoke again and Klaus tuned his hearing in. Caroline was right; there was a couple about 3 houses down that were in an argument and the woman was droning on and on complaining about her husband while he couldn't do anything but stutter in return. _"I just want to… get away…"_ She continued and Klaus walked over to her.

 _"You can block it out… focus on the noises you hear inside here. Your music playing, the hum of the lights and TV, Stefan, and me; focus on us."_ He instructed but she was shaking her head.

 _"I can't… it's too much…"_ She answered before he felt her leave his arms. He saw Stefan on the floor where he had tried to catch her, but he wasn't fast enough.

 _"Don't worry… she's just overwhelmed. I'll track her and we'll get her back. It would help if you go and compel the neighbors to stop fighting; I think that's what set her off the most."_ Klaus explained and Stefan nodded before they flashed off in their different directions. Klaus followed her trail easily as it led him through the forest behind her home to the ruins towards the falls. He had seen her come this way once before but he hadn't managed to catch where she was going; and he knew the cellar he changed into a wolf with her was not her private one. He could see her standing in the middle of the ruined homestead and gazing at the moon so he walked slowly and quietly so he didn't disturb her.

 _"I should have known… you would follow… you did say you would…"_ Caroline whispered as she leaned against one of the columns. He kept up his steady pace until he was standing next to her, but she dropped her gaze to the ground in front of them. He followed her line of sight but didn't see anything other than dirt and twigs. She started laughing as she turned to face him and walked backwards in a roundabout way of the spot she had been looking at. He watched her curiously until she stopped and looked down at the dirt again before hovering her bare foot above it; almost like she was standing on the edge of a precipice.

 _"What are you up to love?"_ He asked and she giggled again. Klaus heard a whoosh and turned to see Stefan finally join them. When he turned back to Caroline she gave a wave in Stefan's general direction before letting her foot move forward over the spot again and jumping. When she disappeared below the ground, Klaus and Stefan both moved forward and tried to follow her; but the ground was solid. _"What the bloody hell?"_ Klaus asked out loud and Stefan shrugged his shoulders; he clearly didn't know any more than he did at that point.

 _"How did she just disappear like that… but we can't follow her?"_ Stefan asked and they backed up to try and think of a way to find her again. Klaus didn't want to move his eyes from the spot she disappeared; she may come back or she could be watching them from somewhere. When he finally turned to face Stefan, half-tempted to snap his neck, Caroline reappeared in a round of giggles.

 _"That was… awesome!"_ She exclaimed as she took a wobble seat on a fallen pillar. _"Your faces… that was… it was funny cool."_ She mumbled as they stared at her dumbfounded.

 _"How the hell did you do that Care?"_ Stefan asked and Klaus watched her smile and fling her arms out.

 _"Only a Forbes… can get you in… and I'm a Forbes."_ She explained as if it was obvious, but when they didn't answer she stumbled over to them and opened their jackets up; apparently searching for something. _"I'm surrounded… by… alcoholics… but no flasks…"_ She mumbled and Klaus reached into his back pocket to hold one up for her. She grinned before taking it from him and skipping back to the spot she had disappeared in earlier to drain the remainder of his bourbon. Her nearly laughed at her scrunched up face but held his breath when she bit into her wrist with a squeak. She had a hard time holding her blood over the flask so he moved forward to hold her arm steady as he took the flask from his hand and held it under the closing wound.

 _"Klaus… don't encourage her. Whatever she's doing, you know she's not in the right mind to be doing it."_ Stefan spoke but he glared back at him.

 _"Whatever she's doing… has her disappearing like magic under the ground and we can't follow. Caroline may be drunk but she isn't stupid… she wants us to follow."_ Klaus replied and Stefan ran his hands through his hair to show his frustration. Caroline kept going between staring at the sky and keeping her head back with her eyes closed. Once the wound closed Klaus pulled out a handkerchief and started wiping her arm clean; resisting the urge to clean her arm with his tongue since she was drunk AND Stefan was present. Caroline took the flask back and motioned for Stefan to come closer as she held her blood up and told Stefan to close his eyes. Stefan seemed reluctant but a smack from Caroline to his shoulder had him huff before closing his eyes and taking her offered blood; guided quickly through the ground until they had both disappeared.

Klaus waited patiently until he saw her stumble back up and out of the ground until she was standing in front of him. He kept his eyes open until after he had drank her blood from the flask, making sure to keep them locked on her eyes. When he did finally relent to closing his eyes he felt her pull him with her; nearly tripping when he took the first step down, but he managed to catch his balance and follow her down. When he heard her say he could open his eyes he saw an immense darkness around him until Stefan turned the flashlight on his phone on and shone it around the room. He saw a flashlight on a small wooden stand and picked it up to shine it around. He couldn't see any type of light switches so he looked for another lighting source; finding only a few lanterns and what appeared to be a generator, but it was covered up.

Caroline was already pulling the tarp off of the generator and trying to pull the string when Klaus walked over and took it away from her to start it up. The hum quickly filled the chamber and he watched the lights flicker on and followed through down a tunnel that had several barred doors. He took another quick glance around to see journal-like books on a small shelf and a key ring with keys hanging a wall hook. He was reaching for the key ring when Caroline beat him to it and started staggering down the tunnel. Klaus passed Stefan a look before they both started following behind her. He could see her pause in front of one door in particular before she passed it up and went into the last one. Chains were on the walls and there were a couple of gurneys in the middle with chains and a table with medical instruments on a small table between them. Flush against the back wall of the room was a bookcase with journals lining the upper shelves and boxes lining the lower shelves.

Klaus' curiosity won out when he passed her up to pull a random book down and browse through it. He could see entry after entry detailing different scenarios of torture inflicted upon vampires and werewolves alike dating back through years. Looking back up at the remaining books he could see the wear and tear on them with faded dates going back almost as old as the foundation of Mystic Falls. He looked back at his favorite hybrid and little blonde obsession to see her frowning in his direction before a shiver escaped her; he knew she knew what was in those entries and undoubtedly didn't like that he was looking at them. He tossed the book in his hands to Stefan as he went back to her to pull her out of the cell and back into the tunnel. She broke away from him and stumbled back to the cell she had hesitated in front of before.

Caroline took her time opening the barred door and Stefan joined them in the tunnelway right as she disappeared inside. They followed behind her to see a chair with shackles in the middle of the room and a table with a couple of buckets and torture instruments placed on top. Her fingers glided over the chair before her head turned to a lever on the wall and she moved to push it down. The cell filled with moonlight shining directly on the chair in the center and Caroline's back fell against the wall as she closed her eyes. Klaus could hear her breath hitch before she opened her eyes back up and she stumbled over to the chair to take a seat. Realization dawned on him when she ran her fingernails over some of the scratches on the chair arm; this had been where her father had "conditioned" her after he turned her.

The sun wouldn't have had any bearing on her skin since she was a hybrid but one look at the buckets and instruments on the table told him all he needed to know. And the fact that her drunken thoughts had brought her here of all places to escape showed him that her mind must be leading her into thinking she needed this. A lot of things made sense to him now about Caroline Forbes, but the prominent thought was that she was feeling like this was something she thought was necessary; pain. She was like in him when it came to expectations from people; they would hurt you time and time again if it suited their purposes. But she didn't let it change how she was towards others, nor did it let herself give any excuses to behave differently. He could see tears in her eyes now, whether it was from memory or nostalgia or if it was from thinking she needed to relive her moments of torture he didn't know, but he wanted to get her out of that chair regardless.

Stefan must have been thinking the same as him because he saw the rippah pull her from her seat and make her look at him as best as he could in her drunken state. He could hear Stefan mumbling about how she was in control of herself and that she shouldn't be there; she should rest and be ready for the girls' night she had prepared for the following evening. Klaus didn't listen anymore as he walked forward and scooped her up in his arms to start walking back out of the cellar. He quickly told Stefan to go ahead of them and get her a cup of coffee, cocoa, or warm milk made for her; he was sure she would rebel somewhat and slow them down. He was glad that Stefan listened and flashed out quickly since Caroline started trying to get out of his arms.

 _"I'm just taking you home sweetheart… there's nothing you need or need to do here."_ Klaus spoke softly to her and she shifted again, but he managed to keep her in his arms as he brought them down to rest on the steps.

 _"I need… to control… myself… I can't… just hit…"_ Caroline responded but he silenced her before pulling her into his chest and letting his hand rub up and down her back before resting on her head as his fingers played with the strands of her hair.

 _"You are in control love… more than you can imagine. And that mutt deserved any hit you gave him since he threw you away without a second thought."_ Klaus whispered out and he heard her sniffle as she settled against him. As much as he enjoyed her letting him hold her as he comforted her he knew Stefan would return if they didn't come soon, and he refused to let the rippah think he was taking advantage of her. He pulled her back to make her look at him as he wiped the tear that had escaped off of her face as gently as he could. _"Let's get you home… Stefan and I will make sure it's quiet and you can rest."_ He said as he lifted her as he stood and carried her out; glad Stefan had turned off the generator on the way out since he was sure that they would need Caroline to get back into the cellar.

 _"You are confusing… you know."_ Caroline whispered out and he glanced down at her face as she looked up at him. Her face was scrunched up slightly and he knew she was trying to figure something out about him, but he wasn't sure what.

 _"Whatever do you mean love?"_ He asked in return as he slowed down to a human pace.

 _"Well sometimes… you're scary… but not all the time… like now… but I don't know why."_ She rambled and he remained silent. His thoughts scattered as he took in what she was saying; as fearless as she had been with him he knew there were times she had to have been afraid of him. _"Why me?"_ She asked him and it was his turn to look at her in confusion. _"What do you want with me?"_ She whispered and he stopped walking altogether as he situated her better so she could see he was serious; even if there was a chance she wouldn't remember their conversation later.

 _"You don't even realize how special you are sweetheart… nor do you understand that I want you for reasons you aren't even thinking of. I want everything from you… and I want it freely; I just want you."_ He reasoned out loud as he tried to keep it as simple as he could.

 _"I'm not special."_ Was all he got in reply before she laid her head to rest against his chest and he took off again in his hybrid speed until he reached the back door of her house. Stefan appeared and held the door open until he could walk in with Caroline still in place in his arms. He carried her into the living room and placed her back on the couch when she protested her room. He worried slightly that she would try to continue their conversation around Stefan but she didn't as she twisted around to find her IPod and demand that one of them start it for her. Stefan gave a little laugh as he took it from her and handed her a mug of what smelled like a blood and coffee mix. She seemed to perk up somewhat as she gulped it down and what she called "music" filled the room.

 _"I still don't understand what you see in this music but whatever floats your boat."_ Stefan said he could see Caroline roll her eyes.

 _"I have to… find a song… for the cheer comp… and it has to be perfect."_ She spoke a little loudly as she used the remote to turn the music up. _"The old captain was stupid… and got us disqualified with the routines. The girls… want to spice it up, but… it's like the old captain. I won't slut up the moves… not like her. Sex them up is okay… but not slut them up."_ Caroline rambled on and Stefan choked on the coffee he was drinking as Klaus felt like he was about to have to use the most control he ever needed in his existence for the topic at hand. It didn't help that his imagination had already taken over and was teasing him with how he thought she would look in her little uniform as she danced and flipped around.

 _"What's the difference?"_ Stefan asked and Klaus wanted to snap his neck; this was not a good conversation to have when he had his imagination going and self-control running at an all-time high.

 _"Easy… sexing it up… is okay cause it draws attention to the routine… and leaves enough to make you wonder what we know. But… slutting it up… implies that not only… do you know what you're doing… you get paid to do it."_ Caroline spluttered as if it made perfect sense and Klaus knew that he and Stefan couldn't look any more uncomfortable for completely different reasons; Stefan because of the friendship he shared with the blonde and him because of how he wanted her.

 _"Okay… so awkward moment aside… have you already done a routine?"_ Stefan asked and he saw Caroline shrug. _"So you just need a song?"_ Stefan continued and got another shrug before Caroline huffed.

 _"Got all the moves… and then we can change… the routine… if it doesn't match. The moves… have to match the song."_ Caroline explained and it was their turn to nod; her message was clear, even if her words weren't. _"I just… can't pick one… song… that anyone will think… it was for… a reason."_ She rambled again.

 _"What reason are you talking about Care?"_ Stefan asked and she huffed before she pulled herself up and off of the couch. She went into her room and came back out with a fresh bottle of vodka from what Klaus could see, but looking at Stefan he could tell it wouldn't matter what type of alcohol it was since she didn't need any more of any kind. _"Care… come on… I think you've had enough…"_ Stefan tried but backed off when she flashed her eyes at him.

 _"Well… I think… I deserve this… with everything."_ She responded as she waved her arms around. _"And finding… a stupid song… that nobody can say… means something important… is worse than torture."_ She exclaimed before breaking the top of the bottle off and pouring some of its contents into her glass from earlier. _"Why don't you pick?"_ Caroline asked in Stefan's direction and he had to keep from laughing again. Stefan gave him a withering look as he gave in and starting sorting through her IPod; not really paying attention to any of the songs from what Klaus could see but Caroline wasn't paying attention so she might get distracted by something else soon.

 _"How about a movie sweetheart?"_ Klaus asked in hopes she might settle down or go to sleep; maybe he could even sneak the booze away. She perked up and with a nod and Stefan sent a silent "thank you" in his direction before going over to the movie shelf and asking which movie she wanted; clearly it didn't matter to either guy. She had already laid out a few movies and Klaus saw Stefan part in one of the Alien series so he took a seat next to Caroline and Stefan joined them on Caroline's other side once he started the movie.

Klaus watched Caroline as she switched between watching the movie and fussing at Stefan for missing "movie night" and kept from showing his true reaction. He did feel disappointed that she was left alone, but he knew if she had invited him he wouldn't have missed the chance to spend an evening with her; even to just watch a movie. He could imagine him helping her with decorations, even if he didn't celebrate, and then having dinner and watching a movie; she wouldn't be drunk right now and he might be able to have a serious conversation that didn't end in accusations. He would have been able to look back at this evening much like he had the Miss Mystic competition and the time they shared there.

His attention turned to Caroline again when he heard her speak of how Damon was a shitty brother and that he didn't value having a brother; especially one like Stefan. Klaus felt the beginnings of his jealousy rise, but Caroline halted them before they got out of hand by telling Stefan that she would have loved for him to be her brother. Klaus could see how Stefan looked at the blonde between them before he gave her a little hug and she passed out on Stefan's shoulder. Stefan leaned her back against the couch, but Klaus shook his head and reached over to pick her up bridal style. Stefan walked ahead of him and opened the door to her room and pulled the covers down. Once Caroline was covered up and Klaus had placed her bear from under her bed into her arms he followed Stefan back into the living room; resisting the urge to go back to her room and watch her sleep all night.

 _"I think I got it from here… thanks for the help with her tonight."_ Stefan said and Klaus could tell it was the subtlest way to tell him to leave, but he didn't want to venture too far at the moment so he took a seat back on the couch.

 _"I'll wait around. You never know; she might wake up."_ Klaus returned as he stopped the movie with the remote and Stefan took it out and put it up. Klaus looked around at all of the twinkling lights and shiny garland hung everywhere as he stayed lost in thought.

 _"Would answer something honestly for me?"_ Stefan asked and Klaus looked down for a moment before meeting Stefan's eyes with a calculating look.

 _"What reason do I have to lie mate?"_ Klaus asked as he wondered what Stefan would ask him; no doubt it was about Caroline, but he didn't know which direction this would go for sure.

 _"Caroline has been through a lot, and still has so many things going on. There are some days that I don't quite understand how she can handle all of it, but she has been known to exceed expectations. Will you consider backing off of her a little bit for a while?"_ Stefan spoke and Klaus looked at him. He was about to respond, but Stefan continued. _"You don't want to change her… not really, but if you keep pushing her she might change into someone completely different; just to try to get the control she needs over her life back."_

 _"She's stronger than any of you lot give her credit for… and I only want the best for her…"_

 _"Which you think is yourself… you think the best for her is you."_ Stefan stated and Klaus paused for a moment to gather his thoughts so he could end the path this conversation was leading them down.

 _"I have no plans on forcing her to be by my side if that's what you are referring to. I will, however, keep watch to ensure her safety and wellbeing."_ He spoke slowly and paused again to finish off the glass Caroline had remaining on the coffee table. _"In time she will come to me on her own free will… and I will patiently wait for her."_

 _"Do you know what she thinks she's going to HAVE to give herself over to you? She thinks that it'll be the only way to save everyone from you once people start taking the cure."_ Stefan asked and Klaus clenched his fists and jaw as his anger rose. He didn't want her to think that, nor did he want her to only come to him as a trade for her friends; or a distraction.

 _"I wouldn't accept; I will not have her as a bargaining chip nor would I use leverage to obtain her."_ Klaus explained as he stood from his seat and moved to face his semi-ally. He was holding back from lashing out at Stefan because he didn't want to hurt Caroline, and after watching their little bonding moment earlier, he knew it would hurt her if he hurt the man she saw as a brother she never had. _"You seem to have an understanding of the kind of person that she is… what she could become. I want to see her have everything she ever wanted in this life… to see the world and all it has to offer."_ He continued as he circled around Stefan and waved his arms around. _"I will not be the one to hold her back or snuff out the light she carries in her and everything she does; I do not wish to see her broken down to nothing more than a shell of who she is now."_

 _"Then let her choose what to do with her life… who she wants to be with, whether or not she wants to take the cure, or whether or not she wants to stay here or explore the world."_ Stefan replied and Klaus looked back at him with his face set; he would not be told what to do by anyone regarding Caroline. HE didn't want to force her hand, but letting her think he was at times was the best way to ensure she didn't jeopardize any of his plans.

 _"Do you even know what she really wants mate?"_ Klaus asked and Stefan looked off to the side as if he was contemplating an answer. _"She loves control so much that she let her own father torture her to keep it. She'll stay a hybrid on her own terms. When she speaks about places she hasn't seen in this world she carries a gleam to her eye that will let any fool know she longs to see those places for herself."_ Klaus explained out loud and he could see Stefan trying to come up with anything to sway him away, but it wouldn't do any good. _"As for who she's with… she's still young and has all the time in the world to see who would best suit her. She's of royal blood… whomever she chose would have to be able to deal with an incoming threat at any time; without hesitation. They need to be able to give her as much as she would give… as well as be able to withstand any trial she or others may release."_ He continued and Stefan held up his hand to get him to stop, but Klaus felt like getting it all out now so there would be no confusion later. _"I could have taken her already… with all the leverage around and tricks up my sleeve that I haven't used, but I want her to come to me. She will claim me on her own in time and then I will make my claim official; eternal."_ Klaus finished and he watched as Stefan looked more uncomfortable than ever.

 _"And if she doesn't? What if she doesn't do anything you think she will?"_ Stefan asked and Klaus could almost smell the fear coming off of the former rippah. _"Would you let her go?"_

 _"She's not, nor will she ever be, my prisoner. She may leave for a while, but as she gains knowledge and experience she will see what is best for her."_ Klaus replied simply and Stefan stepped away from him to drink some on his own. _"The question is… will the rest of the little Mystic Falls gang stand by her decision or will they try to take away her control for themselves? I would hate to make her think she had to choose between me and her friends when the time came, but I do not ask that she discontinues her friendships like her friends will try."_ Klaus taunted. _"The doppelganger will bounce between you and your brother; the very one that tried to kill Caroline, as well as others, and succeeded in a few people Caroline knows. The little Bennett witch is more loyal to the doppelganger and sacrifices friends and family for her; yet Caroline is the one to comfort her when it all falls down around her. The quarterback may be her friend, but if given a choice he would choose Elena. You share a close friendship with her… to the point she wishes you to be her brother, but where were you this evening? You, Matt, and her very own mother all ended up at the lake house for the doppelganger. Had I known or been invited you would not have seen me make an appearance there today… I would have made her my top priority; and that is why she will come to me on her own. My motivations regarding her have changed from time to time, but she remains as top priority along with my family."_

 _"She knows what's going on and why we couldn't make it today…"_ Stefan started but Klaus waved off his explanation.

 _"Yes she knows, but deep inside she's letting it all build; every time something or someone else gets chosen before her. The day will come where she longer cares how any of you value her and that is when she will take stock of those who do; and I'll still be there."_ Klaus finalized with a grin as he watched Stefan's eyes dart towards Caroline's bedroom; obviously realizing that he had spoken the truth. Klaus knew Stefan did rely on Caroline and their friendship and was likely wondering how he could avoid losing it but also clinging to the hope of salvaging his relationship to the doppelganger. _"I'm going to check on her again and then I'll take my leave… unless you'd like to get back to championing for the doppelganger again; I'd keep an eye on Caroline until someone managed to come back."_

 _"I'll stay… "_ Stefan finally relented and Klaus cut him off again.

 _"Very well… I will just look in on her and be on my way."_ Klaus spoke and Stefan gave him a nod. He made sure Stefan did not follow him as he walked back to Caroline's room as silent as his hybrid skills allowed so he did not disturb her. She had only slightly turned to her side and the bear was still tucked securely in her arm, so Klaus made sure her blankets were situated and she didn't tangle in them. He glanced behind him to make sure Stefan wasn't watching and his hearing picked up on the clink of glass; Stefan was obviously pouring himself a drink. Klaus moved some stray strands of hair away from her face before moving her hair past her shoulders to leave her neck bare before him. He let himself rest on her neck lightly as he savored her scent before he placed a feather-light kiss upon her temple and left the room.

He kept his pace at a human's speed as he walked home. His conversations with both Caroline and Stefan were replaying in his mind as he recalled the way she felt against him as he carried her and the way she slept. He imagined her sleeping one day in future in his room, in his bed as he laid beside her and watched her sleep. The look she had given Stefan earlier had been how he had seen Rebekah look in his own direction many times, but she had also looked at him differently tonight as well. It was obvious that the rippah held affection from her, even as friends or that of family, but he knew she did not feel that way for him. He may have picked up on attraction from time to time, but her physical reactions weren't his ultimate goal; although they did leave him wishing for more. He wanted to see her look at him with the affection of a lover; with secret looks and sparkling eyes. But he also wanted to see the attraction he had caught a few times magnified until all he could see, hear, small, or touch was how much she wanted him; like he wanted her.

Walking into his mansion he could sense the emptiness that lay inside; pristine walls and decorations that held no emotion, only coldness. His studio was where the only signs of life existed without his siblings there; whether in a box or out in the world on their own. He looked around at the paintings he had done recently and then went to his room to look at the portraits he had made of Caroline; both in paint and with stencil. One day he wouldn't need to keep images of her in his room because she would be with him one day, but they served to remind him of what he would one day have. His thoughts drifted back to earlier and how easy it would have been to have her then; but it wouldn't have lasted and it would have blown up on him by this time tomorrow. Instead he had been patient with her again and she would come to realize that he wanted her for more than just a drunken moment or simple tryst; he wanted everything from her and he wanted it forever. He took his time getting ready for bed and staying lost in his thoughts until he drifted off to pursue some more dreams of Caroline.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Caroline squinted her eyes as she felt her mind opening up to the waking world around her; the light pouring in from her window and her head slightly pounding from all of the drinking she had done. She was momentarily stunned that her head hurt at all but she vaguely remembered she hadn't had much blood yesterday and it would be hard-telling how much she had drunk. With a reluctant sigh she managed to roll over to put her foot on the floor for leverage in standing up. When she had righted herself she went straight to the kitchen and drank 3 blood bags; feeling relief that her head didn't have the slightest pain any longer. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned around to see Stefan standing in the doorway of the kitchen with a knowing look on his face.

 _"Seriously?! Make some kind of noise to show you're there… hungover vampire drinking blood to not be hungover right here."_ She exclaimed as she waved her arms around which caused Stefan to break loose into laughter. _"Yeah, yeah… go on ahead and laugh at me, but don't think I won't get you back later for it."_ She stated and he laughed a little more before clearing his throat.

 _"So the blood seemed to make you better… how much do you remember from yesterday?"_ He asked and she looked at him with a mixture of confusion and suspicion before holding up her finger for him to give her a moment. She started thinking back to the day before until everything started to blur. She recalled images of decorating, the cellar, Stefan, and then Klaus. Her eyes widened a fraction before she looked back at Stefan.

 _"Um… somewhat… uh… I can remember pieces but it's a little jumbled. Do you mind filling in the blanks?"_ She asked sweetly and hoped he wouldn't tell her anything embarrassing or more bad news.

 _"Your mom showed up at the lake house to drop off some files and spotted me and Matt. Deciding that someone needed to check in on you, Matt came by and found you drunk. He called your mom and I volunteered to go keep an eye on you so Matt could go back; Klaus talked his way into following. We came, you were in fact drunk and still drinking, you told us about running into Tyler, you showed off the pictures on the fireplace, and we thought you'd settle down soon enough."_ Stefan explained in a rush as he kept his eyes averted and she felt her embarrassment creeping up.

 _"Oh dear god… I'm never getting drunk again…"_ Caroline started but hearing a small chuckle from Stefan shut her up; especially looking at his face.

 _"You took off, complaining of noise, and when we caught up to you we were going to get you to come back, but you disappeared under the damn ground."_ He explained and Caroline felt her stomach drop; she had been to her family's cellar, and now Stefan and Klaus knew where it was.

 _"And?"_ Caroline prompted when it looked like he didn't want to keep going.

 _"And then you brought us down into the cellar. We saw the journals and where your dad made you keep control from being a hybrid."_ Stefan said quietly and she inwardly swore as she had hoped that it was still a secret on how to get in and what all of the cellar contained. _"I came back ahead of you and Klaus to find something to make you more lucid but it didn't really do any good. Klaus carried you back and you rambled on about cheerleading and the routines; more along with the music. Then we put on a movie and you went to sleep."_ He finished in a rush and Caroline caught a slight twitch to his eye. She wondered what all he had left out, but she figured she probably didn't want to know.

 _"Did anything else happen?"_ She asked and Stefan shrugged his shoulders. _"What is it?"_

 _"Klaus talked to me for a little while last night… it wasn't anything bad so don't worry too much about it."_ Stefan reluctantly told her and she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the counter.

 _"What did you two talk about?"_ She asked curiously since it seemed that Stefan wasn't telling her everything.

 _"Not much… but I feel like we all owe you an apology for not being there when you needed us lately."_ Stefan spoke and she felt speechless for a moment as she kept opening her mouth to speak but couldn't form words.

 _"Nobody owes me an apology for that… there's so much going on that no one could be expected to drop what they're doing when it's important just to hang out and watch a movie that can be watched when all this passes over."_ Caroline replied when she could finally conjure words in her mind. It made her feel like her past needy selfish self and she didn't want to feel like that again. Stefan must have sensed that about her because she saw him nod in her direction before walking back out of the kitchen; towards the living room if her heightened hearing had anything to go on.

She pondered over what memories from the night prior that had surfaced for her while more memories made an appearance. She remembered briefly a small bit of conversation she had with Klaus when Stefan had left ahead of them, but it was still somewhat garbled from being drunk. What she lingered on was how he had the perfect opportunity to act on his insistence to be with her but he hadn't; if anything, the sincerity she had seen made her feel more confused about where she stood in regards to him than anything else she had witnessed around him and the only exception was when he had found her after Alaric's torture. She knew she wouldn't be able to make it to girls' night if she kept on thinking about the night before so she forced her mind to clear and headed back to her bedroom to get changed for her night out with her friends. In the back of her mind she was wondering if her plans would be canceled again because of the quest for the cure so Elena could be human again, but she shut that thought down; she wouldn't be "selfish Caroline" again and if the night out was canceled she could reschedule or something.

Hours later, Caroline found herself doing little flips and twirls on the fence around the dock with music blasting in her ears from her headphones as she waited for Bonnie and Elena to finish up on their "cure" projects and for them to get ready. She was almost bored enough to actually go inside and help but she didn't want to be around Damon any more than necessary; especially with Elena being sired to him and making everything awkward to say the least. Her mother had kept her company for a few minutes while she had been there, but she had left a little while ago and now she was keeping herself occupied. She admitted to herself inwardly that she may have had a little too much blood since she felt like had tons of energy to burn and keeping a human pace was driving her secretly insane. She finished a set of flips that landed her facing a set of trees that were tall and had a perfect landing area below them; she couldn't keep herself from further investigating.

Caroline didn't waste any time scaling the tree in front of her that looked to be the best for climbing. She slowed her pace when she was close to the top so she could look out over the lake and admire the view very few would see. She felt a momentary sense of calm before she looked above her to see which limb would give her the best leverage for the jump ahead of her; finally spotting her target she moved upward. She was somewhat relieved her mother wasn't there to witness what she was about to do as it would show how she was obviously not human; having kept the majority of being a supernatural being as lowkey as possible. Realization set in that it wasn't just her mother she had been downplaying her strength to, but all of her friends as well since she had been more concerned with the trials they had been facing. She had grazed over the bark of the tree that could easily kill a regular vampire, but yet she didn't have that problem so it didn't create any sense of panic on her part; only being killed by her heart getting ripped out or decapitation made her a little more accepting of her vampire side. She wondered if she would ever be ready to fully embrace both the wolf and vampire together at the same time instead of highlighting one or the other. But, that was the problem altogether; she felt suffocated as she tried to be what was expected of her all of the time instead of the acceptance she felt her friends had gotten.

The sun beginning to set kept her focus off of the ground, but not off of her friends. She felt they were beginning to grow apart with all of the changes that had happened. Elena was always busy sticking right to Damon, which she found nauseating under the circumstances; she guessed she never really got over what he had done when he first came to town. Bonnie was always working with her magic, on the cure, or with Jeremy to keep him from going off of the deep end and killing everyone; she could hardly blame her for not having any free time. Matt still hadn't accepted he was a vampire fully and kept himself submersed in work either at the Grille or on the path for the cure. Stefan was still pining over Elena while doing whatever necessary on the quest for the cure himself. Tyler was probably her biggest disappointment since she had been there for him through everything and had trusted him enough to let herself love him; that had blown up in her face and to further piss her off, he had the gall to act like she was desperate enough to come back to him. She felt alone and she hated it, but there wasn't anything she could think to do except join in on the chase for the cure but she didn't know what she could do to help; definitely not kill for it, but what else was there?

Feeling a sense of melancholy closing in she pushed her thoughts into the back of her mind to reevaluate at another time. She looked down at the ground below her and began to make the tree sway so she was sure she would clear the limbs sticking out on the way down; she may not die from wood piercing her but that didn't mean she wanted to feel pain or ruin her clothes. When she thought the tree was swaying enough she turned and got into a good position to launch herself away from the momentary refuge for her mind. She didn't give herself any time to stop herself as she used her legs to propel herself backwards and into a dive. Her body naturally flipped and turned from the years of practice from cheerleading until she sensed the ground closing in and she opened her eyes to ensure she landed perfectly. She had braced for pain upon impact in case she landed wrong and broke a leg or something more critical, but she found it was unnecessary since she hadn't hurt herself and the only evidence of her stunt was the imprint her shoes had left in the dirt below her.

When Caroline looked at her surroundings again she wished she hadn't; her friends had apparently been calling for her but her headphones had blocked them out. She could see Bonnie's stunned face and Elena rolling her eyes in tune with Damon. Matt had turned away and went back towards the cabin, much like Jeremy, as Stefan gave her a subtle smile and nod. The person she had not expected to see, although she should have guessed he would be around eventually, was Klaus; staring at her with his signature smirk as though he knew something that no one else did. She didn't want anyone to notice how much she was nervous of their reactions so she pulled her headphones out and shrugged with an excuse of being bored before proceeding to ask if the girls were ready to leave. Hearing it would be at least a little bit longer she stated she was going to go walking and to have someone yell when they were done so she could hear. She really should have known she wouldn't be alone on her walk for long as she heard a whoosh of air before seeing Klaus in front of her and leaning on a tree.

 _"So… assuming you feel better, might I just ask that you be careful tonight while out with your friends, love?"_ Klaus asked and she remained silent for a moment as she had expected him to talk about other things.

 _"I was planning on being careful."_ She replied slowly as she was still processing her momentary shock.

 _"I won't pretend to know where you're going, but I want you to keep your phone on you at least. Not all of the supernatural world knows that I've managed to successfully create hybrids, but… I know you're strong enough to watch out for yourself."_ He spoke and she could see a slight clench in jaw; she knew he was holding back from telling her not to go. She didn't want to argue with him over it, but she remembered she needed to ask him about the night before.

 _"I will be as careful as possible."_ She stated to start off with. She saw him nod before he leaned away from the tree. She thought he might flash away before she could ask so she flashed forward and put a hand on his forearm to stop him. She almost faltered when he locked his eyes on hers, but she breathed in a released his arm before speaking again. _"Last night… you could have done a number of things that you didn't. I just wanted to thank you… I guess… for not doing them."_

 _"I don't quite like the thought of you hating me… as any number of things you are implying would have led to, love."_ Klaus replied and she nodded her head in acknowledgment. _"I've told you before, I can be patient when I want to be… and that applies to you. I'm not about to take advantage of a drunken situation where I would lose any and all standing with you and be declared as a mistake when I've set my mind to a much longer future; even if you cannot currently see it."_

 _"Klaus…"_

 _"I will only tell you love, to never say never."_ Klaus cut her off and before she could continue he was gone with his scent lingering and her mind once again trying to catch up. She didn't want to think about what he was saying, so she forced her mind to return to gearing up for girls' night. She kept thinking of where they would be going since she had left that decision up to Elena and she felt Damon might be more of an influence on that decision than she would like. It didn't take much longer before she could hear Bonnie yelling her name so she dashed back towards the cabin and stopped just out of sight of her friend so she wouldn't startle her. Since the place they were going was out of town and Elena was leading the way, they had decided to use vampire speed to get there with Caroline carrying Bonnie piggyback style to stay at about the same pace.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

 ** _Klaus POV…_**

Klaus had been sitting there and observing the minimal progress the men of the little Mystic Falls group had been making, but his mind was elsewhere. The girls had been gone for close to an hour and he had been feeling a nagging notion in the pit of his stomach since they had left. It had taken a lot of control to keep himself from stopping Caroline from leaving, but he forced himself to think about how she had been lately; not to mention all the plans that had been canceled for her. He wanted her to have fun and get to enjoy being a hybrid, but he wanted her to keep herself safe and close by at the same time. He kept checking his phone for any notification from the blonde but there was nothing. He poured yet another drink as he kept his face composed into a look of pure boredom instead of the worry he felt. It was only a few minutes later that he heard Damon swear and glasses breaking so he turned to see Stefan and Damon arguing.

Thinking it was regarding the doppelganger since he hadn't been paying attention he took his time to turn around to see the brothers fighting as Damon held his phone in his hand. When he heard Matt cut in and say they had to get to the girls his attention focused in on the conversation. He grabbed Damon's phone to see Elena had sent a message that they couldn't get out of the club and they were surrounded; with the club, apparently, being one Damon had taken Elena to when he was trying to get her feeding directly from the vein if the occurring conversation was anything to go on. Klaus restrained himself from snapping Damon's neck and taking away time it would take to get to Caroline. Once they had a location they all flashed towards the club with Matt carrying Jeremy so he could put his hunter skills to use.

What he saw when they had finally arrived and busted through the door made his blood broil; Bonnie was using a barrier to keep opponents from getting to her and Elena while Caroline was fighting off the multitudes of opponents by herself. Klaus wasted no time in moving forward, decapitating a few vampires on the way through, until he was right next to Caroline and ripping the heart out of a foe that was just about to swing a machete towards Caroline's head. Caroline turned towards him quickly in attack mode until she locked her eyes with him and he could see the relief as he noticed she was losing strength; with her covered in blood and some wounds still bleeding he knew she had been the one to take the blunt of the attack. He guided her over to the girls before he let his rage take over and started ripping out hearts, taking off heads, or biting and snapping necks; he wanted the vampires in the room to know they had pissed off the wrong adversary.

The kills were mounting since the club had been packed and he knew it wouldn't take long to finish the rest since they had started with close to a hundred; not to mention how many Caroline had managed to take out before they had arrived. He still didn't want to think about what all they had done to her before he had gotten there, but he knew he would have to soon enough. He heard gunshots scatter through the club and saw the Mystic Falls gang duck down to avoid being critically hit; flashing forward quickly to kill the shooter he didn't take in the damage until he turned to check on Caroline. She had been hit with the bullets from what he could see as she held her chest and was fighting to stand as defended herself against a new opponent; she was still outside of the witch's barrier and that renewed Klaus' anger and furthered the resentment he felt for her friends. Klaus quickly dashed over to the ongoing fight and tore the unknown vampire's head off before he noticed that Caroline was quickly losing consciousness and she wasn't healing much, if any, anymore. He tried to get the Bennett witch to take Caroline into the barrier but she made the excuse that she wouldn't be able to bring it back up again.

What Klaus would give for the barrier to down at that moment, but he could feel Caroline lightly grab his arm before she started to fall. He caught her weight and placed her on the ground so she could rest; the wheezing sound from her breathing telling him some bullets must have punctured through to her lungs. Another quick glance over told him there were more places that had been hit, but only one that caused him worry for when they had to get all of them out of her; not to mention all the pieces of wood from the stakes she had been stabbed with. He stood back up instead of moving her again, as not to cause any further pain than necessary by getting her away from the girls, and waiting for opponents to come to him. He didn't have long to wait and he knew the unknown vampires had figured out he was the strongest in the room since they had started banding together against him. Deciding to let her precious friends take care of the clean-up and making sure they were all dead he began to start snapping necks to cut down the number fighting. Focusing on downing each vampire that came his way he almost didn't catch the sound of a fight behind him.

Caroline had gotten up and had taken down a vampire that had tried to come up behind him. Taking the unknown male down she had lost more strength and was struggling for air on her knees next to the corpse. He wanted to get her out of there and leave the rest to fend for themselves, but that wouldn't happen until he could make a path. Out of almost nowhere, Stefan joined him in killing vampires that were near the girls; Klaus grateful that one of them could check on the blonde with two now standing guard. Knowing she was in intense pain and he couldn't go straight to relieving her of that pain made him focus on taking down the rest of the vampires in the club. Once he was sure they were all down, even if some were only temporary until Jeremy could stake them, he went back over to assess the damage on Caroline; halting only momentarily when he saw she had somehow lost her shirt and was laying on her stomach to keep herself from being exposed.

Klaus saw the Bennett witch close the barrier over her and Elena once he had shed his jacket and lain it over Caroline. He watched as Damon fussed over the latter as Matt healed Bonnie and Stefan start sorting through the vampires on the ground and tossing the ones that needed to be killed over to Jeremy. Caroline's hand gripping his lightly brought his attention back to her and he saw she had shifted onto her side and was trying to tug his hand forward more. With the difficulty in breathing he knew she wouldn't be able to speak so he was trying to figure out what she was wanting; it all made sense when she put his hand on her neck. She wanted to stop the pain but he was interrupted as her "friends" came over and turned her quickly to her back. Bonnie was using magic to try and pull the pieces of wood and bullets out but Caroline started screaming for her to stop. Reaching a decision, Klaus reached up and snapped her neck to end the pain her body was being put through.

 _"What the hell are you doing?!"_ Bonnie screamed at him in question as he felt a tiny aneurysm taking hold in his head.

 _"Stopping her pain, you bloody lot of imbeciles!"_ Klaus roared in response and felt the pain stop in his head. He quickly covered Caroline back up and moved to lift her, but he was stopped again. _"There's only so much time until she wakes back up and I intend for her to do that when everything is out of her body. Maybe you should be of use and call your doctor friend so we can use an x-ray and one of her operating rooms since you clearly couldn't include Caroline in on the protection you used for yourself and that useless doppelganger."_ Klaus spurted and he could see the others had taken offense to his words, but he didn't care.

 _"I had her in the circle… she stepped out of it when we noticed it stopped people from getting in but not objects when they were thrown at us."_ Bonnie defended herself but Klaus let out a bitter chuckle in response. _"She said she could handle it while we called for help."_

 _"And look how well that turned out."_ Klaus motioned towards Caroline with his head since he was still holding onto her in his arms. _"I do intend to find out every aspect of how tonight happened but not before I see to it that she's taken care of."_ Klaus stated as he glared to each of her friends before finally standing with Caroline and proceeding in walking out of the club.

 ** _Third Person POV…_**

Stefan had tried to stay and make sure the remaining girls were alright, but seeing Elena under the sire bond and dismissing Caroline's current state made it too much to stay and not snap. He had overhead Bonnie taking Klaus' directions and calling Meredith so he spoke his leave before flashing off towards Mystic Falls. Bonnie had ended the call and asked Matt to take her to the hospital so she could get there faster, but he told her he had to wait long enough to make sure Jeremy could kill the remaining vampires. Elena was recounting their event to Damon and Bonnie felt herself getting angry when Damon tried to blame Caroline because it had been her idea for a girl's night out; if he hadn't ever shown Elena this place they wouldn't have come here. She and Caroline hadn't even wanted to enter once they had learned it was where Damon had taken her because they didn't know if it would be safe or not, but Elena had insisted and went on in; leaving her and Caroline to follow her in hopes of getting her to go.

Bonnie was losing herself in memory of what had happened once she and Caroline had come in, but Matt snapped her out of it when he said he was ready to go. Bonnie called Liz to tell her to meet them at the hospital before she let Matt pick her up and carry her there. Liz had dropped what she was doing and Bonnie had been able to hear the squad car starting before the call had ended. Damon had stated he was going to carry Jeremy for Elena since he had already made sure she was injury free and they were ready to go home. Damon used the sire bond to keep Elena from going to the hospital and they returned to the lake house. Jeremy had a hard time coming out of hunter mode without Bonnie with him so he secluded himself outside to continue chopping wood and resisting the urge to use said wood to kill off his sister and her current lover.

At the hospital, Klaus was overseeing the doctor as she made the x-rays to pinpoint each injury and what they had to take out of Caroline's body. Stefan had shown up moments ago, followed by Bonnie and Matt a little time later, but his attention didn't sway from Caroline until her mother showed up and was questioning them about her daughter. Bonnie started telling Liz about the set of events leading up to the attack, as well as Elena telling Damon and his reaction, but Klaus had to leave them and go to Caroline to keep from bleeding the lives out of other patients at the hospital in anger; Caroline needed his attention more than anything at the moment and he intended she had it, whether she was conscious to know or not. Once all the x-rays were lined up on the wall as a guide, Meredith had started cutting away Caroline's pants and leaving her underclothes to make the removals easier. Klaus picked up at scalpel and clamp without even thinking twice and made the first cut with Meredith working on her in succession.

They had been working on Caroline's shallow injuries first and had almost cleared those up when Klaus heard Caroline coming back alive and snapped her neck again. Meredith had only paused for a moment before getting back to work; they didn't bother stitching her back up because they would have to get the stitches back out once she healed. When they were sure they had the minor injuries dealt with, by marking them off on the x-rays, they took the x-rays down and did more. Klaus was pleased they hadn't missed any of the injuries that had intended to get out first, and was ready to begin getting the more dangerous injuries eliminated. He could see bullets and wood in both her lungs, her heart, liver, spleen, and one kidney; all of them keeping his rage simmering until he could address it at a later time. He looked over at the pile on the tray table that had built while they were operating and had to look back at the work ahead of him; if she hadn't been a hybrid she would be dead for good right now. Stefan, Liz, Bonnie, and Matt were all watching as Klaus and Meredith worked; Stefan consoling Liz as her daughter was being worked on while Matt and Bonnie kept a watch for anyone trying to come in.

Liz was stuck in her thoughts as they switched between her daughter on the table and the hybrid working on her; she had thought he would be on a rampage at the moment but he wasn't and she was inwardly thankful that he was channeling his aggression on helping her daughter. She was angry her daughter had been put in this situation to begin with, but after hearing Bonnie retell the tale she didn't know who to blame more; Damon being the main one though. Liz knew she would have to step in and try to get Damon to stop using the sire bond on Elena because the girl was already a danger-magnet and she didn't need to be so careless from brushing off worries because Damon told her to. She was worried about everyone else if she did so though; Damon could react and cause hell much like the hybrid working on her daughter at the moment. She didn't have to ask or listen to Bonnie telling her what had happened at the club to know that all of the attackers were dead; she knew Klaus would have ensured their deaths, if not because of the attack itself but of the way he was focused on Caroline. She may not like Klaus, but she knew when to give the devil his due, and that included his adamancy in ensuring Caroline was alive and out of danger; even though she still didn't like the idea of Klaus trying to date her daughter.

A couple hours and another snapped neck later, every bullet and piece of wood had been removed from Caroline's body and they had taken x-rays again to be sure; Klaus had demanded that he keep the x-rays, of course, as well as deciding that Caroline was going to be taken to his home to be monitored since she would likely attack upon waking from lack of blood. Liz had watched as Meredith and Klaus had worked meticulously through every wound, and Klaus had given his blood during intervals to ensure that Caroline's major injuries would heal quicker. She hadn't expected him to re-snap her neck again before wrapping a couple hospital gowns around her as they got ready to leave. She had been about to argue that Caroline should be at home since it would be a familiar comfort, but she listened to Klaus since he was likely to be right as Caroline had been depleted of blood and hadn't had time to completely heal yet. Stefan finally left Liz's side to gather the x-rays and every bullet and piece of wood that had been bagged so they could follow Klaus.

Liz had decided to drive by her home and gather Caroline some clothes, so Stefan offered to ride with her. Bonnie and Matt were going to follow Klaus, but after seeing the hybrid glare in their direction it became clear that they were not welcome, so they went with Liz and Stefan. The car ride to the Forbes residence was a silent one and once they had arrived they each went in search of different things for Caroline. Liza and Bonnie went to gather clothes for Caroline to change into while Matt and Stefan looked for her computer, iPad, and her favorite movies. Bonnie only broke the silence to question whether or not it was really the best idea to let Caroline stay with Klaus when he's their enemy, but Stefan and Liz came together to explain that he wasn't dangerous to Caroline; even though Liz didn't know the full situation between her daughter and the hybrid, she knew enough to say Klaus would protect Caroline.

At the Mikaelson mansion, Klaus had taken Caroline to his bathroom and set her in the tub while he went to gather blood bags. He ran the hot water in the bathroom sink and put the plug in so the blood bags would warm up while Caroline was being cleaned up. Walking over to the tub he noticed most of the blood on Caroline had dried so he started the showerhead and ran it over her skin and hair so he could get it prepared for soap. He was hesitant to strip her back down to underclothes, so he left her hospital gown on her and began lathering her hair up. Once he had her hair and uncovered body layered in soap suds he pulled the showerhead back over her to start rinsing it all off of her. The water ran pink, but he knew it wouldn't be clear unless she was cleaned completely; and that wouldn't happen unless he took the rest of her clothes off so he could scrub the rest of the blood off. He decided against that route and made sure she was clean where he could see her. He had just gotten her out of the tub and onto the towels he had lain out when he heard his front door open and Stefan announce their arrival.

Klaus snapped her neck again so Liz could finish cleaning her daughter and put her back in the tub. When Stefan, Liz, Matt, and Bonnie stepped into the bathroom, Klaus found himself resisting kicking all but Liz out but he thought she might need help cleaning Caroline. Klaus gathered his own clothes and went to his sister's bathroom to take a quick shower while Stefan and Matt went to the parlor to give them some privacy and to get a drink. It didn't take long for Klaus to shower since he used his speed and he found himself waiting outside of his bathroom for a sign that Liz and Bonnie were finished cleaning Caroline. Once he saw Bonnie come out of the bathroom and grab some of Caroline's clothes he told Liz to cover Caroline with a towel and he entered to lift her from the tub for her. Klaus fought to ignore Caroline's body on his as he lifted her for Liz and Bonnie to clothe her while also keeping his head turned so he couldn't be accused of looking at her naked form while she was unconscious; he never thought he'd be grateful for when her clothes were on.

Watching Klaus tuck Caroline into his bed once she had been clothed was strange for Liz and Bonnie; more so for Bonnie since she hadn't believed Damon when he said Klaus was obsessed with Caroline. Watching Klaus with Caroline, for Bonnie, was like an out of body experience since all she had seen of him had been murder and mayhem and now she was trying to ignore the look on his face; an idiot could see the worry and care he was showing for Caroline and Bonnie didn't want to see what would happen once she woke up. Bonnie wanted to be there when Caroline woke up, but she was worried that Caroline might actually return at least part of the look she had gotten from Klaus and, after the events of the night, she didn't think it was best to react around her friend. During the attack, Caroline had been the one to tell them to call Klaus but they had ignored her and texted Damon instead; that meant Caroline trusted Klaus, at least trusted him more than Damon. She was glad Jeremy texted her in that moment with fear of losing control so she could excuse herself and asked Matt to take her to him; leaving just Stefan and Liz to stay at the mansion with Klaus until Caroline would wake up.

Klaus warned Stefan and Liz that Caroline may not be in control when she wakes and that it would be best if they didn't stay in his room for that. Liz only replied that she wasn't leaving the mansion until she knew Caroline was okay before she went to the parlor with Stefan to wait. Klaus went to sit on his bed next to the temporarily dead blonde to wait on her to wake; having already gotten a bowl of hot water to move the blood bags to the nightstand in his room. No one would doubt that he was still very angry at the situation, but he felt himself somewhat calmer now that she had her injuries out of the way and she could heal. While Liz and Stefan were sitting in silence and waiting on a sign she had woken, Klaus began speaking in his native language some of the wolf stories he had heard during his human years and throughout the centuries since; she may not hear or understand but he could always repeat them later when she would stay around long enough to hear them.

Hours later Klaus was still telling tales when was cutoff in a flash on blonde and teeth dug into neck. He had been expecting her to react this way and forced himself to stay still so she could take what she needed and come back to her senses; it wasn't just anybody he allowed to feed from him, much less his neck, but he wouldn't deny Caroline. He had been flattened to his bed with her on top of him so he let his arms come up to wrap around her as he whispered to her to let her know she was safe. Caroline ended up taking about half of his blood before she gathered herself enough to detach from his neck and drop her head to his chest to focus on controlling her craving for blood. It was only when he sat up with her still in his lap did she finally feel in control enough to lift her head; Klaus still holding on to her and looking at her hybrid features still on display. She was still gripping his arms and fighting her need for blood when she noticed the position they were in and that he didn't have on a shirt, but she couldn't make herself move as she was using her strength to strain against her blood urge.

Klaus knew the fight she was having so he swung his legs around to the side of the bed so he could stand with her in order to grab the blood bags from the stand. Once he had them he leaned forward to put her back on the bed and quickly pulled the tube loose to place in front of her. Caroline didn't hesitate taking the bag and completely detaching from Klaus as he readied another bag. Once she stopped feeding, Klaus drank a couple bags to make up for what he lost when she fed from him as he watched her turn completely silent and stare off into the bedroom. Klaus started to move towards the door to let Liz and Stefan know they could come up, but Caroline gripped his arm out of nowhere and started shaking her head; she didn't want to be left alone and he thought she wasn't ready to face anyone yet. Klaus remembered she had been unconscious since the club and wouldn't know who was there so he yelled down to Stefan that he and Liz needed to wait a few more moments on his signal before coming up.

Caroline realized what Klaus was doing but her eyes had focused on the blood on his neck and then she glanced to see the blood on his bed. Klaus followed her sight and then turned her head back to him; her attention getting fixed on the open bathroom door before she stood and started walking there. She looked around until she found a towel to wet and Klaus took it from her to clean her face back up; Caroline stood still as she hadn't noticed she had blood on her face until that moment. Once he pulled away she grabbed the towel back to get the blood off of him. He took notice of her hands shaking and took the towel away from her as she walked out of the bathroom. When he was finished, he walked back into the bedroom to see she had taken her shirt off and was putting on another so he looked away and went to get a shirt for himself. Hearing his bed being stripped he tried to stop her but she refused and went back to the bathroom; hearing the faucet on again confirmed that she was washing the blood out before it could stain.

 _"Sweetheart, just leave it be; I can take care of that, but you need to rest."_ Klaus spoke softly as he entered the bathroom so he didn't spook her in her heightened state of emotions.

 _"I'm sorry… I didn't… I…"_ Caroline tried to speak but she couldn't find the words and her confusion was growing higher as she couldn't figure out why he had let her feed on him when he was the most paranoid person she had ever met aside from her father. She knew he felt something for her from how he had been acting speaking to her lately but feeding from him, even just to heal when out of control, was intimate to say the least.

 _"Do you want your mother?"_ Klaus asked and she stopped moving as her eyes met his.

 _"She's here?"_ Caroline whispered in return and he nodded. _"Not yet, please… I can't face her yet."_ Caroline said as her head dropped with her eyes closed and she shook again. _"I killed them… I didn't want to… they wouldn't stop, so I killed them."_ Caroline mumbled and Klaus didn't hesitate to pull her back against his chest to try and calm her back down.

 _"You did what you had to do to survive and no one should EVER fault you for it. What happened tonight was self-defense and you didn't have a choice. If anyone tries to tell you different just remember you kept yourself and that witch and doppelganger friend alive tonight; I didn't see them doing anything to benefit the situation."_ Klaus stated as he tried to keep his anger from showing but she pulled back.

 _"Are they okay?"_ Caroline asked and Klaus nodded. _"Bonnie had the spell cast to cover all of us… but whatever they threw still went past the barrier and we kept getting hit so I walked out of it so I could stop them long enough for Bonnie and Elena to call help. Did they call you?"_ Caroline rambled and finally asked.

 _"I didn't get anything from anybody… I was still at the lake house when Damon got a text from the doppelganger; that's how I found out. I guess it's a good thing I was sticking around until you made it back safely because I can guarantee that they would not have liked what I would've done had you been killed tonight."_ Klaus answered and carried on until he felt her shrinking away from him. _"I especially didn't like the elder Salvatore trying to blame tonight on you when he was the one that planted the location in the doppelganger's head using the sire bond; I guess the bright side of that is that the rest of your friends now understand that she's sired to him and what he can make her do and say."_

 _"How is that any different than you siring the other hybrids?"_ Caroline asked him as she tried to at least defend her friends since it hadn't been their fault for the night either.

 _"I never used the sire bond to get someone in my bed; compulsion either for that matter."_ Klaus responded seriously and Caroline didn't respond to that. _"Even though you were never sired to me, I wouldn't have used that on you. I didn't even use Tyler's sire bond to make him break up with you like I could have. There's no point to either if it isn't real, sweetheart."_ Klaus finished as he watched Caroline trying to keep her breathing even. Her mind was racing with thoughts, but she couldn't deny he was telling the truth. _"You have enough on your mind to be worrying about that matter at the moment though, sweetheart. You need to rest and let your mother see you; she's been worried for you and none of us know when she might get called in to work. She's already agreed you're staying here tonight and, for once, do not argue; you may have healed physically, but you may wake up like earlier if your mind plagues you in your sleep."_ Klaus reasoned with her in order to keep her calm and from arguing with him, but Caroline didn't argue back this time. In truth, she was still shaken from everything and was worried she might attack in her sleep but hearing Klaus confirm her worry she decided not to press her usual point of being alone.

 _"Okay, but… where am I sleeping?"_ Caroline asked and Klaus merely raised his arm in the direction if his bedroom. _"Where do you plan to sleep?"_ Caroline asked quietly and Klaus gave a smirk towards her but wiped it off his face when she went to speak again.

 _"I won't be sleeping; I'll be in my study painting while you sleep in case I need to wake you up."_ Klaus finally answered and she looked at him in question.

 _"You should probably sleep too though… just point me to a guest bedroom or something."_

 _"I can sleep when you go home, love. You're sleeping in my room so go get in the bed and I will go and send your mother up."_ Klaus stated and Caroline huffed but nodded and went to lay down as Klaus went to get another blanket since his former one was wet and about to go in the laundry room. He left her on the bed with the new blanket and got Liz as he had said he would before he sat next to Stefan with a drink ready. Both men tried to block out the conversation between Liz and Caroline upstairs the same as Stefan had tried to block out the conversation between Klaus and Caroline moments before.

 _"Just telling you now… I plan to stay the night as well."_ Stefan spoke to finally break the silence between them.

 _"I had assumed you might since you haven't already left to check on the doppelganger."_ Klaus replied before poured another drink.

 _"Elena didn't take even a quarter of the hits Caroline did tonight and she seemed fine when we left. Caroline might seem fine… but it'll be a while before she gets past this."_ Stefan thought out loud with a sigh.

 _"She's strong; why I have to keep telling you that is beyond me, mate. Even if it takes time, she'll understand that everything that happened tonight wasn't her fault and it could have been avoided; your brother doesn't seem to understand that he's going being a fool with the sire bond."_

 _"Well Elena isn't Tyler so she can't just break her bones until she isn't sired anymore."_ Stefan returned with a huff and Klaus knew the younger Salvatore was going to have his mind consumed for a while on this predicament.

 _"Not to mention that your brother doesn't seem like the type to set the doppelganger free on his own, but I'd say Elena could break it on her own if she wanted to; if she was truly against something he told her to do."_ Klaus gave away so Caroline wouldn't have to keep trying to help Stefan with getting Elena out from under the sire bond.

 _"What I don't understand is how vampirism brought out Elena's worst traits, but brought out Caroline's best ones; it doesn't make sense, even with the sire bond on Elena."_

 _"Perhaps you weren't seeing her worst traits when she was human, but with the vampirism bringing everything out heightened it illuminated them for you; I personally detest her either way so I don't care to tell you the truth of the matter."_ Klaus stated and Stefan felt an ache in his chest. Stefan wanted to defend Elena but her behavior lately held him back. _"And, of course, you think the cure is going to magically change her back to the person she was before being a vampire, but it's the same person; she'd only lose the sire bond."_ Klaus finished and Stefan let his thoughts run back over all the time he had shared with Elena; he still loved her and hoped she would be her again, but Klaus' words rang through his mind.

 _"At least she would have her choices back instead of the sire bond."_ Stefan thought out loud once more and Klaus sighed at the hope in the younger vampire; he didn't want to point out any clearer that the doppelganger would still have him and his brother against each other with or without the sire bond on her.

Upstairs, Caroline and Liz had been talking about what had happened at the club. Caroline hadn't wanted to go through all of it, but her mother had asked why she didn't just call for help before she had gone in after Elena. Caroline had explained that she and Bonnie had gone inside to try and get Elena to leave, but Elena had ignored them and ordered them drinks. Caroline had smelt something off with the drinks and had stopped Elena and Bonnie from drinking theirs by taking them herself; pointing out hers had wolfsbane, Elena's had vervain, and Bonnie's had a small dose of poison in them through a group text message between them. She had almost convinced Elena to leave when they got surrounded and the music had switched over to "She Wolf" by Shakira and that led to knowing they had smelled the wolf in her. When the vampires had shown their vampire faces, Elena had shown hers while Caroline had closed her eyes and let her veins come out to try and show just the vampire side instead of the full-blown hybrid.

The vampires hadn't cared because some of them thought Elena was Katherine and all of them thought she had been with a wolf and didn't like it; Bonnie being a witch had only added to the fuel as she tried to give out aneurysms so they could get out. Then she told her mother how she had walked out of the barrier Bonnie had created for the 3 of them so the other girls could call for help; she hadn't known they had only texted Damon since she had given Bonnie her phone to call Klaus. Liz listened intently as her daughter fought with herself to tell her about the fight itself; noticing the tears Caroline was fighting made her move closer to her daughter. She made sure to explain that she may not like the thought of Caroline killing anyone, but she was glad that she had that night because she was alive; it was self-defense. Caroline calmed a little hearing her mother say that, even if Klaus had told her first and she knew her mother hadn't heard him tell her that, as she was more worried about her mother's reaction than anyone else.

Liz had told Caroline everything that had happened once she had arrived; from the surgery to Liz and Bonnie cleaning her more thoroughly than Klaus had done since he had left her clothes on. Caroline was grateful he hadn't seen her naked, but it was still weird to hear that her mom and Bonnie had. It wasn't much longer that Liz got a call to come in, and though she argued against it, Caroline convinced her mother to go to work. Caroline had already overheard Stefan saying he was going to stay so she wasn't worried about being with Klaus alone; noticing she hadn't been worried about whether Stefan was staying or not. Even though she had been uncomfortable with Klaus during their past interactions, she was thankful for him being there that night; she had been about to give up fighting when he had shown up and she hadn't failed to notice that he had saved her just in time before she would have lost her head. She had tried her best to help during the fight after help had arrived but she hadn't been able to move very much at that point; only managing a few more kills until she could only curl up in pain.

Caroline bid her mother goodbye as she settled down into the bed before Stefan came in with Klaus behind him to check on her. Klaus felt better once he saw her again and could see that she was coping well while she was still awake. Stefan set up her computer and let her pick a movie to watch to help her fall asleep, but Klaus could see Caroline's reluctance to sleep and possibly have to relive the night again in a nightmare. It wasn't as long as he expected before the blonde was sleeping so Klaus had Stefan turn off her computer before he showed him to a guest room; Klaus returning to his room to watch her for a little while before he would go to his art room as he had told her earlier. When she showed no signs of a nightmare or waking he went ahead and left the room to let her rest in peace, but kept his hearing in tune with her from down the hall; the smallest hitch in breath and he would return.


End file.
